Closer
by brinchen86
Summary: A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione (story returns to be completed this time)
1. Of Secrets and Returns

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit. Cover art by Phoenix_87 TDA  
**Author's note:** It was 2012 when I wrote and posted this fic (you might remember my old penname brinchen86) and made it to 55 chapters. Then I failed you guys because I needed a fandom break and disappeared. And I'm sorry for that! I'm back now, and guess what? I found 53 of my 55 chapters on my external harddrive (I have no idea what happened to the other two but hey, maybe I can find them again too)! And the fic is back. I have so many chapters to post before I need new content, so I'm positive I can actually complete the fic this time. I promise I won't abandon it again, and I hope you'll enjoy reading (or rereading) this Dramione story that still has a special place in my heart.

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**Chapter 1: Of Secrets and Returns**

Autumn was a beautiful season; she had always liked it. The days were slowly getting colder, the trees were changing their colours, losing their leaves. Fog was covering the landscape in the morning, and during the day, the sun was making the world look like it was coloured in shades of red, orange and gold.

Autumn at Hogwarts had been beautiful; even when they had been dealing with yet another problem every single year, Hermione Granger had still enjoyed the changes of seasons. She had loved to go for walks, or just make herself comfortable at the library.

Their time at Hogwarts; it felt like ages since she had set a foot onto the school grounds for the last time. Yet only five years had passed since her graduation.

And so much had happened since then. It never failed to amaze her how easily she had adjusted to life after graduating, after Hogwarts.

Of course some things would always stay the same. Even though she didn't share the same common room with Harry, Ron and Ginny anymore, Hermione was glad that they had moved to houses close enough to each other so that they could easily meet whenever they wanted to.

Some things that had happened had been predictable. All of them had agreed to return to Hogwarts for their last year after the war. Harry and Ginny had gotten married a year after the latter had graduated. Ron had gotten back together with Lavender during their last year; again something Hermione had expected as well after she and Ron had figured out shortly after the war that they wouldn't work as a couple. They were best friends, always would be.

Hermione had been the one who had to go through the biggest changes though. Her attention turned to the little four years old boy, who was jumping up and down next to her excitedly, tightly holding onto her hand.

Almost a month had passed since her graduation when she had noticed the first pregnancy symptoms. When realisation had hit her and she had gotten confirmed that she was indeed expecting a baby, she had been shocked. She hadn't seen that coming at all.

She hadn't been in a relationship, hadn't been for a year since she and Ron had agreed that they didn't work as a couple. There had been nothing wrong with being single, even though being around two couples had been annoying at times.

Yes, she hadn't been in a relationship. It had just been one night. Her first time. The night before their graduation. And one night had been enough; suddenly she had been expecting a baby. It had taken her a while until she had been able to admit it to her friends, who, much to her relief, had immediately offered their support. Which hadn't even changed when they had found out who her baby's father really was.

"Mummy!" The little boy impatiently pulled at his mother's hand. "Mummy, faster!"

Hermione smiled at him softly. "We're almost there, Scorpius. The sandbox won't run away."

The little boy offered his brightest grin in response. Even though he was only four, he looked so much like his father already. She had been right when she had expected the man's identity couldn't be hidden forever. Because Draco Malfoy's son would be recognized everywhere.

By the time they had arrived at the local playground, Scorpius could hardly be controlled anymore. Finally allowed to run without having to hold his mother's hand, the little boy rushed over to the sandbox. With a smile still plastered across her face, Hermione picked one of the empty benches nearest to her son and sat down.

And once again, like always when she didn't have anything else to do but watching the little boy, her thoughts started to drift away.

Around five years ago, everything had changed. Hermione could still remember how often her mood had changed; from nervous to excited to unsure to scared. She was glad her friends had been by her side all the time and still were since they had all moved to the suburbs of London, owning little houses there.

She was a single mother; Hermione couldn't deny this wasn't the way she had imagined having children. When she had found out about the baby though, she had had no idea where Draco had gone to after leaving school. There had been rumours that he had wanted to travel the world.

But even if she had found him at Malfoy Manor, she didn't know whether she would have told him about their child or not. After all how high were her chances that Draco was willing to have a child with her? The Muggle-born? Although Draco seemed to have changed his point of view a lot after the war and even though they had liked each other enough so that their little interlude could happen in the first place, she didn't believe that his family or even he would appreciate a half-blood baby.

And so she hadn't tried to find him throughout the years, determined to raise her son alone. So far, she had succeeded. It was hard, but she wasn't alone.

"Amazing how much he's grown."

Startled by Ginny's voice, Hermione looked up. Her friend had joined her on the bench, watching her with an amused smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she added.

"You didn't." Hermione shook her head. "I just didn't hear you coming. What are you doing at the playground anyway?"

Ginny's smile widened. "I knew I'd find you here on such a lovely day in autumn, and I wanted to see my Godson again."

Hermione returned her friend's smile. "That's nice of you." She lowered her voice. "You know I'm always glad when you come and talk to me. I'm not so much into chatting with other Mums."

"You mean because they're showing off with their children?" Ginny wanted to know.

Hermione sighed playfully. "Yes, they keep on talking about how their child can already write their own name or read their own name. What am I supposed to say? That my child just started to figure out that he's a little wizard?"

Ginny chuckled. "Yes, I see where you're coming from." Leaning back, she made herself comfortable on the bench. In silence, they watched Scorpius for a while. The sight never failed to warm Hermione's heart. There was nothing more beautiful than seeing the little boy running around, laughing and squealing. It made up for all the times in which she was overwhelmed with being a young single mother.

"Are you still sure you don't want to tell him?" Ginny asked after a while.

A tiny sigh escaped Hermione. She had stopped counting how many times they had had this discussion. "Why should I? I doubt he would even want to know."

"I don't see how you can be so sure about that," Ginny replied. "I mean..."

"Ginny, please," Hermione interrupted her. "It's not like we were a couple. We...yes, we've come to like each other during out last year at Hogwarts. But...it was the night before our graduation. We were just...I don't know, maybe overwhelmed by the whole situation? I still don't really know how it happened. It was just this one time, and we never really talked about it afterwards. It meant nothing to him. So do you really think he would want to play happy family with me? To be the father of my child? Besides, do you really think his family will accept a half-blood child in their family?"

Ginny shrugged. "Well, you can't know that. First of all, you don't have to play happy family. And about the whole pureblood crap...Malfoy seemed to have overcome his prejudices."

"And his parents?" She sighed deeply. "Besides I don't even know where he is."

"There are rumours he's back in London."

"Ginny!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why do you even care? I'm doing just fine like this. Of course I'd love Scorpius to have a father, but...I doubt such a role really fits to Draco." She released another deep sigh.

"I know and I understand," Ginny told her, in a softer voice now. "It's just so obvious whose son he is and if he's really back in London, he might find out anyway. So don't you think it'd be better if you went and told him? Apart from that...his name. It's a name I could see Malfoy pick for a child, but..."

"How many times are we going to discuss this, Ginny?" Hermione wanted to know. "I know you just want the best for us, but see, it's not as easy as you imagine. I can't just go and say 'hey Draco, guess what, I have a child and you're the father'. Especially not after so many years. It's...complicated. Totally complicated. He's my son, we're happy with the way things are. What do you think Draco did during the last few years? Surely a lot. I think the last thing he'd be interested in is a child he has with me. So even if he found out due to people gossiping, I bet he wouldn't even care."

Ginny stared back at her in silence for a couple of moments. Hermione knew her friend wanted to disagree, wanted to continue their argument and convince her. But Ginny also knew when it was better to drop a topic.

"We'll see about that," was all she decided to say then. "So what else do the two of you have planned for the rest of the day?"

Glad that the topic had been changed, Hermione shared her plans with her friend. Yet the conversation, like usually, didn't just leave her mind. Things were complicated. Very complicated. But as much as she hated to admit it, Ginny wasn't so wrong either.

* * *

Of course the flat couldn't be compared to Malfoy Manor. It was a big flat, but couldn't even come close to the big house where he had grown up.

Still Draco didn't regret his decision to move out when he had returned to London. He had gotten used to his independency.

Five years had passed since he had graduated. Five years during which he hadn't really done much but see what the world had to offer.

A world that was so much bigger than his student self had ever been able to imagine. A world full of new things to learn.

By now, he could look back at an impressive number of cities and countries he had visited. He had met a lot of wizards; big names in the wizarding world. He had learnt a lot from them. And had realised more and more how wrong his past believes had been.

It was another reason why he found it difficult to return, to be around Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy again. His mother had always been more open than his father, but both were still believing in the importance of someone's blood status. Even though their name had suffered a lot due to the war and everything that had to do with it, they were still proud to count to one of the big pureblood families.

Draco himself had gotten to a point where he didn't really care for his blood status anymore. During the last five years, he had seen too much, heard too much. The world was full of brilliant wizards, and so many of them were half-bloods or even Muggle-born. He had gotten to know them, had been impressed by their knowledge.

Yes, it was safe to say that he had learnt his lesson. Much to his relief, he could look at his arm again without having to see any remainings of the Dark Mark. This fact and his long journey around the world had helped him to leave the past behind.

Of course starting fresh wouldn't be easy either. Now it would most likely be him who would have to face prejudices. But at least he had already learnt to take care of himself, and he would use this fresh start as a new chance.

Letting himself fall onto his living room couch, Draco stared out of the window across of him. Back in London. He was curious how it would be like to face the people from his past. He had already changed a lot during his last year at Hogwarts, but by now, he almost felt like he had been reborn. How would it feel like to be back?

As he watched the sun set, his thoughts drifted away even further. It had taken him a lot of years to get to this point and he couldn't stop wondering how things would have turned out for him if he had stopped listening to his father earlier. Would he have gotten along with Potter? Would he and Granger have been friends? Or more even? Would there have been more unity between Gryffindor and Slytherins?

Shaking his head, Draco pushed these thoughts aside. Looking back at the past was a waste of time. He had to leave it behind and look at what was ahead of him. After all that was what fresh starts were about.


	2. What Should I Do?

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
**Author's note:** Thanks so much for reviewing!

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**Chapter 2: What Should I Do?**

Since they had left Hogwarts, the friends had come up with various traditions that made sure they would meet regularly. One of those traditions was a weekly dinner at one of their houses. Every Saturday evening, after a stressful week at work, they would meet and relax together.

Relaxing was the top priority here. No one was supposed to create the perfect meal. Their meetings were about spending time together, eating together. Perfection wasn't needed here.

Hermione was grateful for that. The perfectionist in her would have caused a lot of stress for her whenever a Saturday had approached.

But no one cared if a meal wasn't as classy as those they had enjoyed back at Hogwarts. It didn't matter.

Much to Hermione's relief. She had expected that being a single mother wouldn't be easy. Fortunately she had managed to get a part time job at the Ministry a while ago, but still working and taking care of a child all by herself, especially at such a young age, definitely was a challenge.

A challenge she could deal with though. She had handled all the nights when the baby boy had kept her awake. She had handled the terrible twos when the little boy had tried to rebel against whatever she did. It was a fight at times and she had to structure every single day, but if Hermione was good at something, it was organisation.

"Hermione, that's a very tasty pudding," Luna said as Hermione returned into her dining room. It never failed to amaze her how they always managed to fit in; she and Scorpius, Harry and Ginny, Ron and Lavender, Luna and even Neville, who had managed to leave Hogwarts for a few hours to join them.

"Unfortunately our Godson is missing the pudding this time," Ginny said with an amused smile at the little boy, who had fallen asleep in his chair a couple of minutes ago.

"I bet he chatted himself to sleep," Neville replied with a chuckle. "I'm really looking forward to the moment I can teach him at Hogwarts. I bet he'll be fantastic at Herbology."

"What?" Ron shook his head. "Come on, man. Even though you love teaching it, it's not like the coolest lesson ever."

"Ron!" Lavender gave her boyfriend a disapproving look. "That was not nice of you! Herbology is a very interesting lesson. Although personally I think he'll love Professor Trelawney even better." She gave Ron a warning look as he opened his mouth to reply, and so he stayed quiet.

"Not if he comes after me," Hermione said with a tiny smirk. She and Lavender had become friends a long time ago, back at Hogwarts after she and Trelawney had rescued the Gryffindor. But on a few things, they would never agree.

"If he comes after you, he'll be good at everything and stuck in the library all day long," Harry teased her with a wink.

"How about Potions though?" Ron suggested. "Now that Snape doesn't hate us anymore. I bet he'll treat your son well. Besides, he has the Malfoy bonus."

Hermione rolled her eyes in response. After he had gotten over his shock that Draco was her baby's father, Ron had developed a new favourite hobby; teasing her about it.

"Maybe he could also be into the Dark Arts," Ron added then.

"Ron!" Lavender said firmly. "Stop being mean, or do you want me to start using your nickname again?"

Ron shuddered. "No. Sorry, Hermione." He paused. "I do wonder which house he will be sorted into though. I hope it'll be Gryffindor."

"Ravenclaw would be nice, too," Luna said.

"Maybe, but come on, apart from you, we're all Gryffindors. So he has to become one as well," Ron stated.

It was Ginny's turn to roll her eyes. "It doesn't matter what he'll be sorted into. He's the sweetest boy, we'll love him whatever house he'll be in."

"As long as it's not Slytherin," Ron said with a grin at his sister. As he caught Hermione's look, he sighed playfully. "Fine, we'll even accept a Slytherin. I mean, he's raised by you after all, not by his father, so I doubt he'd cause trouble there."

"Are we done with the jokes now?" Hermione asked, shaking her head, trying to hide her amusement. At the beginning, Ron's jokes had bothered her. By now, she could only laugh about them. Everyone who saw the little boy would immediately guess whose son he was. In fact, Ginny was right. If they ran into anyone who knew Draco, said person would probably immediately inform him for the case he was really back in London. She had to deal with the fact that her son's identity couldn't be hidden.

How things would change if Draco really found out about his child was a different story though. Hermione was still convinced that he couldn't care less for having a child with her. Of course by the time the whole Wizarding World would know about Scorpius, he would have to care because he wouldn't be able to deny the child. But right now, she didn't want to bother herself with those thoughts. Draco had been away for years, she hadn't had any idea where he had been. Who knew if he was really back, or even interested in anything that was happening in London?

They finished dinner together. Neville, Luna, Ron and Lavender had already left by the time Hermione was cleaning up the dining room. Harry and Ginny had volunteered to take care of Scorpius. It had been another beautiful evening with her best friends. One thing she knew for sure; this tradition would stay.

Lost in her thoughts again, Hermione almost missed Harry as he returned into the dining room. She didn't notice his presence until he spoke up.

"I know we dropped the whole topic earlier," he started, helping her with carrying the empty plates into the kitchen. "But I didn't really want to talk about it in front of everyone else."

"What do you mean?" Hermione wanted to know. The look in Harry's eyes said more than words though.

"I'm afraid the rumours are true," he told her after another moment of hesitation. "I've seen Malfoy at the Ministry today."

"Oh yes?" Hermione tried her best to sound as uninterested as possible. The way Harry raised his eyebrows at her though told her that he simply knew her too well.

"It's only a question of time until he'll find out," he continued. "You've been lucky that you haven't run into any of his old friends during the last few years. I know you think he couldn't care less for Scorpius, but...well, our faces are known everywhere in the Wizarding World. In fact I'm surprised there hasn't been any gossiping articles about the two of you yet. He'll be expected to make a statement. The world has changed and I doubt he'll dare to say he doesn't want to have anything to do with his own child."

Hermione stared at the sink in front of her. During the last few years, things had been rather easy. She knew Harry was right. It was only a question of time until things would get complicated; until now, it might have worked, but she couldn't hide Scorpius forever. Probably this was the reason why Ginny had brought up the topic earlier at the playground. They were worried. Just like her, no matter what she tried to pretend in front of everyone else.

"And what am I supposed to do now?" she wanted to know. "Do you agree with Ginny? That I should go and tell him before anyone else does?"

"I think it's a good idea," Harry said. "And I know it's not an easy step, but I doubt it'd be better if he appears here because he heard something about it from someone else." She could feel he was watching her as she stood where she was, struggling. His hand came to rest on her arm as he added, "What are you afraid of? If he says he doesn't want to have anything to do with him, fine. It's his own problem. Scorpius never has to meet him then. And who knows, he might surprise you. Remember, we've gotten along quite well during our last year. After all you..."

"Yes, I know what I did," Hermione interrupted him. Sighing deeply, she said, "And...what if he'll try to take him away from me?"

"What?" Harry asked surprised. "I thought you were convinced he doesn't want him anyway."

Turning around to her friend, Hermione shrugged. "Yes, that's what I believe. But you can't deny you're right, Harry. He can't just pretend he doesn't exist. We're not nobodies. What if he and his family decide that despite Scorpius being a half-blood, they want to make sure he grows up like a real Malfoy? What if they take him away from me?"

It wasn't the first time this thought had found its way into her mind. What if Draco did the opposite of what she was expecting? What if the Malfoys decided to take Scorpius away from her?

"Hermione!" Harry interrupted her. "That won't happen. No one will take him away from you. The Malfoys might be rich, but the world has changed. They've lost their power. They'd be stupid if they tried to take him away from you." He squeezed her arm gently. "You're not alone in this and you know it. The worst that can happen is yet another argument with Malfoy. But either he'll run away, he'll have to leave you alone or he'll actually surprise you and show interest."

Hermione didn't reply to that. Of course Harry and Ginny were right; it was wise to go and talk to Draco before anyone else did. It was a big step though, and so far she hadn't figured out how to make it.

"Mummy!" Jumping up and down next to her, Scorpius smiled up at his mother. "I want the ice-cream now! Please!"

"You'll have your ice-cream soon," Hermione told her son as she manoeuvred her way through the overfilled Diagon Alley. Fortunately school had started weeks ago, but still it was hard not to run into someone. After the war, it hadn't taken Diagon Alley long to become a well visited place again. Still Hermione was sure that George and Fred Weasley own the most successful shop here. "We need to buy some books first."

"Can we go to Uncle Fred and Uncle George?" the excited little boy asked.

"Yes, we can go and see them, too," Hermione said with a smile. She chuckled as Scorpius squealed. The prospect of seeing the Weasley twins was always a highlight for her son. He was spoiled by all of her friends, but the most interesting presents he got from the two shop owners.

Making sure that she didn't run into anyone or lose Scorpius, Hermione pushed her way through the crowd. A sigh of relief escaped her as she spotted the familiar sign of "Flourish & Blotts" in the distance. Dearly hoping that it would be calmer inside the shop, she lifted her son up into her arms, holding him tight so he wouldn't be run over by anyone. She had just reached the entrance door of her favourite shop as the doors were pushed open. Politely, she stepped aside, just to freeze in shock as she two familiar faces stepped outside. Obviously as surprised as her, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson stopped in their tracks, staring first at her, then at the little boy who was studying them curiously.

"I think I should have expected them to have so many new books," a voice behind those two said, the familiar sound of it making her heart race. Instinctively, Hermione tightened her arms around Scorpius as Draco left Flourish & Blotts. Almost running into his friends, he raised his eyebrows at them. Then he spotted her.

"Oh, Granger," he greeted her. "It's be a while..."

His voice trailed off the moment he noticed Scorpius.

"Hello Malfoy," she managed to say. But according to his expression, he hadn't heard her. Instead his whole attention was focused on her child now. Words weren't needed; his expression told Hermione everything she needed to know. One look at the little boy had been enough. Her secret was no secret anymore.


	3. What To Do Next

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 3: What To Do Next**

It felt like ages since he had been in Diagon Alley for the last time. A lot had changed since then. It was a beautiful, light place again. Probably the shop of Fred and George Weasley was one of many reasons for that. The streets were crowded like they used to be before Voldemort had returned.

Things were back to normal; it was more than obvious. Even more it fascinated him that although for him, nothing was the way it used to be, he had never felt more comfortable as he was strolling along the shops.

Meeting Blaise and Pansy again had been a bonus that had made his day even better. Five years ago, he had seen those two for the last time. It was nice to see that they had gotten married during those years.

They had continued their trip through Diagon Alley together. Flourish & Blotts had been full and loud; obviously a lot of new books had been written and released lately.

Books about the second big war the Wizarding World had to face. He had been tempted to buy one, especially when he had realised that some of them had been written by former students of Hogwarts; names he knew more or less well. He was curious to read their view on the past events.

In the end, he had resisted his urge to buy something though. He had just returned to London, would need his time to adjust to that. He didn't want to bring back all those painful memories. It had been a horrible time. A time that had taught him a lot of lessons, but horrible anyway.

And so they had decided to leave the shop again. They hadn't come far though.

Five years had passed since Draco had seen Hermione Granger for the last time. He could clearly remember said day. Not just because they had graduated but mostly because of what had happened the night before.

Even years later, he still wondered how they had ended up in bed together. During their last year at Hogwarts, they had gotten over their rivalry, had left the past behind; after all, everyone had to start fresh. They had even come to a point where they had started to like each other.

Until said night. They had run into each other in the prefects' bathroom. Why both of them had decided to go there in the middle of the night in the first place was still a mystery to him. Everything had started to innocently; they had talked. Simply talked, without any underlying teasing, insulting or anything. They had laughed. And then, all of the sudden and without a warning, they had kissed.

One thing had led to the other; he could only describe it like that. But even though it had happened out of nowhere, he had never really managed to forget said night. He and Granger. Who would have expected that? And, even more important, who would have expected that being with her would be amazing like that?

As amazing as their experience with each other had been though, they hadn't mentioned it again the day after. And hadn't seen each other since their graduation. Until now. Until she had appeared in front of Flourish & Blotts, around five years later.

"Granger," he said as he had recovered from the surprised of the moment. "It's been a while..."

And then he realised she wasn't alone. She was holding a child; a little boy, who was looking up at him curiously. A blond haired, grey eyed boy who looked like a perfect copy of the child he could see when he looked through his old childhood photos.

Granger said something to him, but he didn't understand her. Too much, he was shocked and overwhelmed by the sight in front of him. A blond haired, grey eyed little boy. Was it possible? Was it really possible?

"Is that your child, Granger?" Pansy next to him asked, sounding almost as surprised as he felt. His eyes darted to Hermione's face, which had turned unnaturally pale. Her eyes had widened in a way that answered more questions than words ever could.

"Um...yes, he is," she stammered. With a forced smile, she added, "I...it was nice to meet you again after so many years. I hope you're doing well. I'm sorry, we're a little in a hurry."

And with those words, she turned around and almost fled into the opposite direction, all the time keeping the little boy pressed tightly to her chest. Something inside his mind was screaming at him to run after her, to make her stop and return. But his entire body seemed to be paralysed. He couldn't move an inch, couldn't tear his eyes away, even after Granger had already disappeared in the crowd.

"Wow," Blaise said impressed. "Now that was a surprise, huh?"

Ignoring her husband's words, Pansy asked, "Are you alright, Draco?" He felt how his arm was grabbed, which finally brought back his ability to move. Assuming he looked as pale and shocked as Hermione just had, he stared down at his friend.

"Are you alright?" she repeated concerned.

Draco continued staring at her for another couple of moments. Then, without really knowing what he was doing, he turned around, attempting to head into the same direction Granger had taken. He felt how the hand tightened on his arm now.

"Hey, where are you going?" Pansy's alarmed voice asked.

"What do you think?" he finally managed to say. The attempt to free himself of his friend's surprisingly strong grip failed though. "Leave me alone, Pansy!"

"What for?" she wanted to know. "So you can go after her? And what will you do then, huh?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe ask her why her son looks like me?" Draco hissed, frustrated that while Pansy was still holding his arm, Granger was getting more and more distance between them. "Maybe I could also ask her why she didn't even try to tell me that I'm father of a child? How about that, Pansy? Or is that none of my business in your eyes?"

"When did you and her...I mean..." Blaise started.

"That's none of your business!" Draco hissed at him. "And you let go of my arm!"

"No." Pansy sighed. "What do you expect from this? Do you want to go and confront her in the middle of Diagon Alley? Right in front of the child? Do you think she'll answer any of your questions if you do that?"

"And when exactly did you become Granger's best friend?" Draco shouted back.

Pansy shook her head at him. "Just calm down, Draco. Calm down and then go to her. Go and visit her at home maybe. Don't yell. I don't really know Granger, but I guess she has her reasons why she didn't tell you about him, and when you yell at her, I doubt you'll get anywhere." She paused. "Besides...what exactly do you want to do after you got your answers?"

"What do you mean?" Draco asked annoyed.

Pansy raised her eyebrows at him. "Well, Draco, you have a son obviously. What are you going to do? Try to be part of his life or ignore him, pay her for keeping him a secret..."

"I doubt that's anything of your business, Pansy," he hissed. As he caught the look his friends gave him though, he sighed. "I don't know, alright? I...how am I supposed to know? I just ran into my son who I didn't even know exists."

Pansy smiled at him. "Sounds strange, right? Speaking it out loud."

Draco just rolled his eyes at her. Once again, he stared into the direction where Granger had disappeared minutes ago. Probably Pansy was right; he should confront her when he had calmed down. But then he wanted answers. What would happen after that was a different story.

* * *

She had been running through Diagon Alley as if Voldemort himself had reappeared and been following her. Not caring if anyone was giving her strange looks, she tried to get as much distance between herself and Draco as possible.

He knew it. She had seen it in his eyes. Pansy Parkinson's question and her confirmation that the little blond boy was indeed her son hadn't really helped with keeping her secret hidden.

Draco knew he had a son. With her. Fortunately he had been more shocked than her; her chance to get out of the situation before he could ask any questions.

But Hermione knew it was only a question of time. He would go after her, would confront her. She didn't expect anything else from him.

"Mummy, where are we going?" Scorpius asked, obviously confused by his mother's unexpected change of mind.

Hectically looking for where she could go, Hermione released a relieved sigh as she spotted Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. She smiled at her son.

"You said you wanted to visit Uncle Fred and Uncle George, didn't you?" She placed a loving kiss into Scorpius' blond hair. "Mummy will go back and get her books on another day."

Scorpius seemed to be satisfied with this answer and didn't ask any further questions as she hurried over to the shop and pushed her way through its doors as if Draco was closely following her. Breathless and exhausted, she hurried through the crowd of people, unsure on what exactly she was looking for. She only stopped as she found herself facing the Weasley twins.

"Wow, Hermione, you're running as if Voldemort himself was after you," Fred teased her. "You do know Harry defeated him a few years ago?"

"I'm...it's just...Malfoy..." she stammered, struggling for a moment to catch her breath and answer at the same time.

The twins seemed to have understood though. They exchanged a quick glance before Fred turned his attention to Scorpius and said, "Hey little man, did you come to see what cool stuff Uncle George and I came up with just this morning?"

"Yes!" Scorpius nodded eagerly. Wiggling his way out of his mother's arms, he grabbed Fred's hand and followed him into the back of the shop. Meanwhile George grabbed Hermione's arm and dragged her into the opposite direction until he made her sit down on a chair safely hidden from the other customers.

"Sit down, take a breath and have a drink," George ordered, handing a glass of water to her which he had made disappear.

"Thank you," she said. It took her a couple of long moments until she had calmed herself down enough to form a proper thought and be capable of speaking again.

"So why exactly did you run in here like a crazy woman?" George asked then.

Hermione sighed deeply. "Because I ran into Draco at Flourish & Blotts. He just left the shop when I was standing outside."

George raised his eyebrows. "Oh."

"Yes, oh." Hermione shook her head. Her heart rate had gotten back to normal, but now other feelings took over and she could feel herself rapidly approaching the edge of a panic attack. "I can't believe it...this was the worst way for him to find out about Scorpius!"

"Did he say anything?" George wanted to know, trying his best at hiding his discomfort, failing though.

Again, she shook her head. "No, he was too shocked I guess. I used my chance and ran away." She groaned. "How silly of me! As if he can't just go looking for me! And he will. He won't just pretend like nothing happened."

"Yes, but maybe Malfoy is smart enough not to run after you right now and confront you in the middle of the most crowded place on Earth," George tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, no matter what he does when he freaks out, what's the worst thing he could do? Yell at you maybe. Expect you to tell him why you hid his son in front of him. But that's all. And if he loses it completely, we'll all come and kick his butt to the moon. You'll see, if he doesn't behave, he'll regret it."

Hermione couldn't help herself; a tiny smile lit her face at George's words. "In fact I can understand him. I doubt it's nice to find out you have a son after so many years. I'd be mad as well. I just hope he'll listen and let me explain before he goes completely crazy."

George seemed to be unsure on what to say for moment. "Is there anything we can do?" he asked then. "Maybe take care of Scorpius for a bit? It's not a problem."

"Thanks, that's sweet of you," she answered. "But no. I'll go and see Ginny. Maybe she wants to come over for a bit. And then I'll wait for the confrontation. It's silly to run away."

"Always the brave Gryffindor," George told her with a wink. "Still, if you need anything, just let us know. That's what friends are for, right?"

Hermione nodded in response. She was glad as George left her alone with her thoughts then. Yes, she knew Draco would come to her, would expect answers. She would have to deal with that. But even though panic was once again trying to take over, she was determined to stay calm. Of course she wished she had a plan; despite all the times she had played all possible scenarios through, she didn't really have one. But this time, she would just have to wait and see, and react the moment Draco would stand in front of her.


	4. Confrontation

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Confrontation**

Pacing up and down in his living room for at least an hour by now, Draco ran his hands through his hair, fighting against his growing confusion. He had returned to London, willing to make a fresh start. His journey around the world and all the time he had spent with different witches and wizards had changed him.

Yes, he wanted to use his return as a chance to make a difference. Of course he had taken his parents' offer to buy his flat and the needed furniture. But he wanted to take care of himself. He wanted to live at his own place, wanted to work for his own money.

He was back, curiously looking forward to what would be ahead of him. Who would have expected that he would run into Granger, just to find out that he had a son? With her?

Shaking his head, he stopped at his living room window. Who would have seen this coming? Who would have expected he would turn out to be father of a little boy?

Draco couldn't remember how exactly Pansy and Blaise had managed to get him back to his flat. He couldn't deny his friend was right; confronting Granger in the middle of Diagon Alley, right in front of the little boy, would have been a mistake.

It still had to be done though. He had found out where she had moved to already; a small house in the suburbs of London. It would only take him a few seconds to Apparate there and make her talk to him.

But what exactly did he want to know? Of course why she hadn't told him the truth. Why she had decided to hide his child in front of him and raise him alone. He had his theories for that already, but he wanted to hear what had really been going on in Granger's mind when she had made this decision.

And after he had gotten his answers? Pansy was right; what would he do then? What did he expect from Granger and, even more important, what did he expect from himself?

Did he want to be a father?

Of course there was no way for him to deny that this child was indeed his son and he also didn't want to. It wasn't the child's fault that he had been conceived during a one-night-stand. Of course he would also pay for his son; he wouldn't wait until Granger forced him to. Although he was convinced that she would never ask him to pay just a single knut for his child if he refused to bring it up himself; she was too proud to ask for anything.

That aside, what did he want? Did he want to be a father? Did he want to be part of his child's life? And what would that mean for him? He would be responsible for the little boy. He would also be around Granger a lot. That wasn't a problem for him anymore; even though he believed she was still pretty bossy at times, he had actually started to like her during their last year at Hogwarts. Did she feel the same way about him though? Probably not if she didn't even dare to tell him that he had a son.

"Goodness," he groaned, letting himself fall onto his living room couch. So many questions and absolutely no answers. Something deep within him was telling him that he liked the idea of having a child. He wanted to be part of the boy's life. He wanted to see him regularly, even if he didn't really know how it would feel like to be responsible for a child. Granger at least had had time to get prepared; she had been pregnant after all. Then again he couldn't really complain; she had to raise the boy alone all the time.

But even if she agreed to let him see the boy, was he even capable of being someone's Daddy? Or would he fail like his own father?

Feeling how a thick lump started to build in his throat, he swallowed hard. For his entire childhood and teenager years, he had seen his father as his idol. It had taken him long to realise that during all those years, he had been running after a goal which he could never reach. He had wanted to please his father, had wanted to make him happy and proud. And had failed over and over again. He had seen it in Lucius' eyes. His fear to fail had been one of many reasons why he had hated Potter and Granger so much. Potter had been the famous boy-who-lived who everyone respected. Granger had been top of every class.

Would he treat his child the same way? Would this little boy grow up with the constant fear of disappointing him? Would he grow up with the belief that his father would only love him if he was successful and made him proud?

Hiding his face in his palms, Draco fought against the mix of pain and insecurity caused by those thoughts. Yes, it had taken him long to free himself of the belief that he was only worth being loved if he succeeded and did what his father expected from him. It had been a painful realisation. Would he do the same to his own child? Or would he have the chance to learn from his father's mistakes and be a better one for this little boy? Would he be able to show this little child that he was worth being loved even if he failed at times?

As his thoughts reached this point, another strange feeling started to fill him. A feeling that made the lump in his throat worse but at the same time wasn't really a bad feeling. A feeling that answered at least one question for him.

Yes, he wanted to be part of this boy's life. There wouldn't be another Malfoy out there who would suffer because of his father's decisions. With this decision in mind, he got up and Apparated.

* * *

Sitting on her living room couch, Hermione was staring at the coffee table in front of her without actually seeing anything. So far, Draco hadn't shown up, which surprised and worried her. Ginny had tried her best to calm her down, but hadn't really succeeded.

Over and over again, she mentally replayed all possible scenarios she could face by the time Draco decided to confront her. She had thought about potential replies, but none of them really made her feel any more confident.

It was the sound of her doorbell that startled her. Shaking in nervousness and fear, she got up, hardly managing to make her way to her front door.

The doorbell rang again as she reached for the knob. With a shaking hand, she turned it around, opening the door.

"Hello Granger."

He stood right in front of her, staring down at her with an expression she couldn't fully interpret. The shock which she had seen in his eyes earlier had disappeared. There wasn't the expected hate either though. Instead he almost seemed unsure, yet determined at the same time.

"May I come in?" he added. "I think we have to talk."

Unable to speak, Hermione nodded. She stepped aside and he walked past her, just to stop in the middle of her hallway, waiting for her. She led him into her living room, signalling him to sit down. Sitting down across of him, she needed another couple of moments before she regained the ability to speak.

"I can imagine you're angry," she said, hoping her voice wouldn't reveal the strong emotions she was struggling with at the moment. "But do me a favour...don't start yelling. I just...he's sleeping next door and I don't want him to hear that. It's not his fault."

Draco's eyes darted to the living room door for a moment before he nodded. His attention turned back to her and she could feel how her cheeks started to flush. What was she supposed to do now? There had been so many scenarios she had imagined. None of them had included a man who would just sit there, staring at her like that.

"Why did you do that?" he finally asked after what felt like eternity. His voice seemed calm but she could tell from the tone of his voice that he was fighting hard with himself to keep control. For once, she was glad that he was a Malfoy; if they were good at something, it was keeping up a cold, calm façade. "Why didn't you tell me that I have a son?"

Hermione sighed softly. "I..." Her voice trailed off again. "Please, before you judge me, let me explain."

"That's why I'm here," he told her, still in this controlled, calm voice.

Unable to prevent herself from shaking, she nodded. "I...well, by the time I found out I was pregnant, you had already left the country. I had no idea where you were, but..." She hesitated for a moment. It was unnecessary to lie. It was about time to say the truth.

"To be honest, I also didn't really know what would happen if you found it out," she admitted. "I had many ideas of what you'd possibly do. I wondered if you'd even care for a child you'd have with me. We weren't together. Something inside me wanted to believe that you'd tell me you didn't want to have anything to do with him anyway." Once again, she stopped. During all those years, her reasons had seemed so logical to her. Now that she sat in front of Draco though, expected to voice them, things looked a little different.

"Just be honest, Granger," he said then, interrupting her in her thoughts. "I'm not Potter or Weasley, you're not going to hurt my feelings if you tell me what you were really thinking when you decided to hide my child in front of me."

She looked back at him, needing another few second before she finally answered, "Fine. I was afraid what you and your family would do. I know your family is still so proud of their blood status. Now look at me, I'm a Muggle-born. Our child is a half-blood. That would ruin your blood status. I was afraid they would go after me and tell me not to have the baby. Or to wait until he was born and take him away from me to make sure no one would ever find out you have a son with a Muggle-born. I...I was just afraid you'd take him away from me or pressure me into doing something I didn't want to do."

Draco stared at her in a mix of disbelief and shock. "You really think I'd have allowed them to do that? To force you into abortion or giving away your child so they could pretend he's a pureblood? Do you really think I'm such a monster?" He paused. "Yes, I guess here I have my answer."

"No!" Hermione said firmly. "I...didn't really think that you'd be okay with that. You had changed so much during our last year at Hogwarts. I knew you had learnt your lesson. But...I was afraid of your parents. I thought even if you weren't the problem, they would most likely be." She could feel tears rising in her eyes. During the last five years, she had been afraid of this moment. The last few hours had felt like a nightmare to her. "I'm sorry, Draco. I shouldn't have hidden him in front of you, but...I was afraid. I really was. Maybe I should have tried to find you, maybe I should have informed you, but I thought it'd be the best like that. I thought if you never found out, you and your family wouldn't have to deal with a half-blood offspring and I could just raise him alone. I thought it'd work and everything would be okay."

He didn't say anything in return. Instead he stared at the floor in silence for minutes. She didn't bother to hold back her tears any longer; the tension deep within her had gotten too strong. There was no way back anymore, she would have to deal with the consequences now.

"You're still afraid, aren't you?" he asked then, looking up again. "That's why you ran away, right? That's why you're sitting there, crying and shaking. Do you think I'll take him away from you now?"

Once again, Hermione was unable to reply. There was no way for her to deny his statement, even if she had wanted to.

But, much to her surprise, he didn't do what she assumed he would have done during all those years in the past when they had been enemies. Instead he looked her straight into the eyes as he answered, "I won't, don't worry." He paused. "This might sound stupid to you, but I did change over the years. I'm not that selfish, arrogant idiot I've been at school. I'm also not running after my parents anymore, doing what they tell me to do. During the last five years, I've travelled around the world. I've met so many interesting, smart people. I've learnt to take care of myself and to have my own opinions. And I've realised what a stupid, naïve, jealous idiot I've been. I wanted to be the centre of everyone's attention, I wanted to be the best wizard Hogwarts had ever seen, I wanted to make my father proud. I was a stupid child. But I'm not anymore."

He paused for a moment, shaking his head. "I won't take him away from you and I also don't care what my parents will say if they find out about him. He's our son and our business, not theirs. I also didn't come here to yell at you. Well, I wanted to earlier, but...in all honesty, I see where you're coming from and who knows, maybe you're even right. Who knows what would have happened if my parents and I had found out about him back then."

Once again, his voice trailed off and for the first time since he had appeared at her front door, she spotted hints of insecurity in his eyes; something she had never seen like that before when it came to him. "I'm here because I wanted you to explain to me why you didn't tell me about him," he continued then. "And...because I want to get to know him."

"You...want to get to know him?" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. Malfoy's speech had already taken her by surprise; she knew the war had changed him, so had his last year at school. She had assumed his trip around the world maybe hadn't been bad for him either, but as she listened to him, she couldn't help but be shocked by how different he was to the Draco she knew from the past. Five years of being away had obviously been enough to make him really wake up finally.

"I'm his father after all!" he said. "I don't want there to be another child who has to suffer because he's the son of a Malfoy. My father failed royally, but that doesn't mean I can't do better. I don't want him to grow up without a father just because of the idiot I've been once." With a tiny smirk that revealed that somewhere deep inside, he was still the man she knew, he added, "You didn't think of that scenario yet, huh?"

Hermione couldn't hold back a tiny chuckle at his words. "Not really." She released the breath she had been holding. The awkward tension between them was slowly fading. Slowly, ever so slowly, realisation was sinking in; he wouldn't cause trouble. He wouldn't take her child away. He wouldn't blame her either. Instead he wanted to make sure he would be a better father than Lucius Malfoy had ever been. It was more than she had ever dared to hope for and as she looked him back into the eyes, she understood that he was as unsure as her; what could he do if she decided she didn't want him to have any contact to his child? A tiny smile lit her face as she studied him.

"Are you sure you want to be part of his life?" she asked him. "He's a child, not a toy. You can't just give him back when the responsibility gets too much for you. Being a parent changes everything."

"I'm familiar with changes," he told her.

Hermione chuckled again. "Obviously you are." Another sigh escaped her. "Fine. Of course you have the right to see him. He's your son after all. But...I want there to be rules. I don't want him to suffer because of us."

Draco raised his eyebrows at her. "Which rules do you have in mind?"

"Not many," she said, quickly trying to figure out what she expected from him so things would work out smoothly. "First of all, stop calling me Granger. Especially not in front of him. It's Hermione."

He rolled his eyes at her. "I think I can handle that. At least I'll try my best."

Playfully, she glared at him. "You didn't change that much after all, did you?" Turning serious again, she added, "You can see him as often as you like. He does need structures, but I don't want to set up strict dates on which you can pick him up. I want us to make this work, Draco, and that means I expect that you show constant interest in him. Don't just come and see him every day in the beginning and then reduce it to once a month. He's a four years old boy. You'd break his heart."

"I've grown up with a father who made me believe I'm only worth being loved when I succeed. I doubt I'll do the same shit to my own child," Draco stated, making her heart ache for a moment.

"Good," Hermione said then. "The other thing...well, it should be clear, but still. Don't tell him anything bad about Harry, Ron or any other of my friends. And especially not about me. Don't manipulate him."

"Oh please!" He glared at her angrily.

"I'm just saying," she replied. "Besides, I'd like to be around the first few times when you'll meet him. Not because I want to control you, but well, it's the first time you're taking care of a child, and it's the first time he'll meet his father, so maybe it'd be easier for him if I'm around, too."

Draco nodded. "Is that everything?"

"It is," she said. "Are you okay with that?"

"Well, I don't really have a choice, right?" As he caught the look she gave him, he added, "Yes of course." He paused for another moment before he asked, "How much does he know about me?"

Once again, Hermione felt her cheeks flush softly. "He doesn't know your name, but I told him that his Daddy is a great wizard who has to travel around the world to help people, that's why he's not there at the moment."

"A great wizard who's travelling the world to help people?" Raising his eyebrows, Draco grinned at her. "Did you say that so he thinks his Daddy is a great guy or do you secretly think of me like that?"

Cursing herself for the fact that her face reddened even more, she glared at him. "I just wanted him to understand."

Draco chuckled. "Whatever." Leaning back against the back of her couch, he studied her with a far more open expression now. "When will I meet him for the first time?"

"How about tomorrow afternoon?" Hermione suggested.

"Sounds good to me," he answered. "I'll be there."

Hermione nodded. She didn't miss the glimpse of excitement in Draco's eyes. Who would have expected their confrontation would turn out like this? She had gotten more than she had ever dared to dream of.


	5. Finally

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Finally**

Draco had left an hour ago, but Hermione was still standing at her living room window, staring out into the night in a mix of confusion and disbelief. During the last few hours, she had been scared of the moment he would appear and confront her.

All concern had been unnecessary. It still felt as if she had imagined everything though. Was it really possible that they had not only talked like civil people but also had come to an agreement so easily?

Shaking her head, Hermione released a chuckle. It never failed to amaze her how much a person could change with the time and right influence around them.

Oh yes, who would have thought she would actually be satisfied with the way their conversation had turned out?

The sound of someone Apparating behind her startled Hermione so much that she spun around, reaching for her wand. A sigh of relief escaped her as she realised her unexpected visitor was Ginny.

"Whoa, it's just me!" Her friend lifted her hands in a defending gesture.

"Sorry." Hermione let her wand disappear again. "But since when do you Apparate into my house like that? In the middle of the night even. You could have woken up Scorpius."

Ginny rolled her eyes playfully. "Yes, Mummy, I forgot." She let herself fall onto the living room couch, where Draco had been sitting just a bit ago. "I was just worried and wanted to see if everything's okay or if you and Malfoy already got into a fight. I guess he was here already?"

"Yes, he was." Nodding, Hermione sat down across of her friend. "He left an hour ago."

"And?" Ginny gave her friend a disbelieving look. "Don't you want to tell me how it went? Did he behave like an asshole?"

"No, he did not," Hermione answered. For a moment, she played with the idea of letting Ginny suffer for a few more moments in response to her former words, changed her mind again though. "In fact he didn't come over to fight with me but because he wanted some answers. He wanted to know why I didn't tell him about his son."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "So no yelling?" As Hermione shook her head, she added, "Did you tell him the truth? Why you really didn't want him to know back then?"

"I did," Hermione answered. "He said he wouldn't have agreed with anything of that, even back then, but who knows how things would have turned out."

"Seriously?" Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "Are you sure you've actually been talking to the real Malfoy?"

Hermione chuckled. "There were moments when I wondered about that, too. But I think he's really changed over the years. He's matured, like all of us."

"Except my dear brothers maybe." Ginny rolled her eyes. "And what else did you talk about? Now that he knows about his son, what will he do?"

"He wants to get to know him," Hermione told her. "To my rules, if you believe it or not."

"To your rules? Wow." Ginny nodded impressed. "And you think it'll work out? I mean you and him, you're going to see each other quite often then."

"I don't have a problem with that," Hermione said. "All I want is that he treats Scorpius well. He's really not bad when he's nice to you."

"Yes, we see what happens when he's nice," Ginny said before she could stop herself.

Hermione's face flushed bright red. "I still don't know how that happened. It was just...well, the kiss. One thing led to the other."

"Must have been a good kiss then," Ginny replied with a wink.

Hermione glared at her. "I already told you I don't want to talk about this!"

"Yes, and I usually dropped it because I didn't want to worry you with bringing him up so often," Ginny told her. "Now that he's back though and you're in fact getting along...well, why not tell me if he's a good kisser? And also how it was to..."

"Okay, enough now," Hermione interrupted her friend firmly. "I'm not going to tell you how the kiss was or how anything else we did was."

"You know, sometimes saying nothing says more than thousand words." Ginny winked at her.

"Ginny, please!" Hermione hissed. "Stop it! You're worse than Ron!"

Ginny shrugged. "Well, you'll have to get used to it, it's you who got involved with a Malfoy." She laughed at Hermione's face. "Okay, I'll drop it now. You know I'm joking. I'm just glad things turned out like that. I was really worried you'd get into a fight. If he's changed, that's great." She paused. "Do you think he'll be good as a father?"

"At least he's determined not to be like this own father," Hermione replied.

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Why? Apart from the fact that Lucius Malfoy is an idiot who forced his stupid ideals on his son, he seemed to have treated him quite well. At least he would solve all his problems for him. Just remember what he did when Draco was attacked by the hippogriff."

"Yes, but a child needs more than someone who solves its problems," Hermione said. "No child should feel like their parents only love it when it's making them proud."

"Is that what he said?"

Hermione sighed. "Kind of. I don't really know, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to grow up with Lucius Malfoy as my father."

"Then let's hope our sweetie is luckier with his." Ginny offered a reassuring smile. "I'm really glad things turned out like that. And for the case he doesn't behave, just threaten him. You have enough friends who'll kick his ass."

Hermione laughed. "Yes, that'll surely work." Her smile softened as she added, "Thank you, Ginny. For listening to me, for reassuring me who knows how often and for coming around to see if I'm okay. What would I do without you?"

"That's what friends are for, right?" Ginny smiled back at her. "Remember how you were there for me when I was going crazy because of the wedding back then? You were busy with your baby and you still had time to calm me down when I would lose it completely over and over again."

Hermione laughed even more. "Oh yes. I won't ever forget that."

The friends talked for another hour until Ginny headed back home. By this time, Hermione had calmed down completely again. The first step into the right direction had been made. Everything else would work out as well.

* * *

"Goodness, I never thought you could be that annoying." Pansy rolled her eyes, groaning in frustration. "I'll go home again if you don't finally sit down!"

Draco stopped in the middle of the room, staring down at his friend in disbelief. "Excuse me, but last time I checked, you came over because of how nosy you are!"

Pansy sighed. "Sorry that I care for my friends. After seeing you like that in Diagon Alley, I was really afraid of what you'd do next."

"I'm not a teenager anymore, Pansy. I know what I'm doing and I use my brain before I make a decision, okay?"

"Yes, luckily you realised that. After I stopped you," Pansy shot back. "And see? Now you didn't only get your answers, you're even going to meet you son. You're allowed to be part of his life. Do you think she'd have agreed to that so easily if you had stormed after her and yelled at her in the middle of a crowd like you originally intended to?"

Draco stared back at her with an expression that made her glad that looks couldn't kill, although she didn't have a doubt that her chances of being hexed by him every second were pretty high at the moment.

"Alright, now that we sorted that out," she decided to say then. "Why don't you sit down and stop running around like a mad man? You're not only driving me crazy, but yourself as well!"

"What do you expect from me?" Draco asked her, staying where he was. "In an hour, I'm going to meet my son for the first time! Show me one person who'd stay calm then."

Pansy sighed again. "I see where you're coming from, Draco. But it's a child. He'll fall in love with you if you just are nice enough to him. Granger will tell him that you're his Daddy and he'll be happy to finally meet you."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're just making fun of me, right?"

"Oh goodness, Draco!" Pansy got up, shaking her head at him. "You know what? You'll go now. She said you can come whenever you like. Go! Or I'll make you. I hope you won't be as unbearable when you actually show up there. If so, I'd kick you out within the next second if I was Granger."

Draco stared back at his friend for a couple of moments. Sighing deeply then, he shrugged. "I can't believe I've turned into this. Alright, I'll go now."

"Tell me how it went when you're back," Pansy said. Draco just nodded in response before he Apparated.

* * *

As he appeared in front of Hermione's house, Draco's heart was racing even more. He hated to see himself like that. If there was something that had always made him proud, it had been his ability to stay relatively calm and hide his emotions. Now he had gotten so nervous that he had even managed to drive Pansy crazy with it. It had been a long time since he had felt like that, and this time, there wasn't even a Dark Lord who would go after him and his family if he failed. Then again he wanted to fail even less this time. Because this first meeting with his son was his only real chance.

Scorpius. A lovely name he had to admit. Something he could have picked as well. He would meet his son for the first time, and he knew Hermione would watch them. He knew it wasn't supposed to be a test, but it still felt like one.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to calm himself down enough that his nervousness didn't shine through too much. Then he made his way over to Hermione's front door. He had barely lifted his hand to knock as the door was already opened and she greeted him with a smile.

"I was already wondering when you'd come in," she said, her smile growing into a grin.

His eyes widened. "Have you been watching me?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip in an attempt to suppress a chuckle. "I'm allowed to look out of my living room window, right?" She winked at him. "You're a little nervous, aren't you?"

Draco glared at her. He hated to be nervous, but even more he hated that she was teasing him because of that. "And you're enjoying this, aren't you, Granger?"

"We agreed on something, didn't we? It's Hermione, not Granger." Her smile softened. "Don't be nervous though. I've told him that his Daddy is coming to visit him this afternoon and he didn't sit still ever since." With another wink, she added, "Remember, you've been out in the big world, helping out all the poor people because of what a great wizard you are. You're his hero."

"And yours, too, Hermione?" Draco asked back, emphasizing her name. He grinned as she glared back at him. "What? You came up with this story, and I doubt you would have if you didn't believe it. At least a little bit."

"Your arrogance won't ever disappear, right?" She rolled her eyes at him, much to his amusement. "Now do you want to come in or stay out here?"

With those words, she stepped aside. His heart started to hammer hard in his chest again as he entered her house.

"Scorpius, here's someone who wants to meet you, sweetie!" Hermione shouted behind him.

Draco could hear the sound of fast, little footsteps and for a moment, he thought his nervousness would make him go crazy completely. His heart skipped a beat as the little boy appeared in the hallway then. Stopping in his tracks, Scorpius looked up at him curiously, for a moment seeming to be unsure on what to do next. Having more time to study the little boy now, Draco was amazed by how much they really looked alike. It seemed as if he was facing a perfect copy of the little boy he had once been himself.

Before Draco could come up with anything to say though, the boy made a step towards him. "Is it right what my Mummy said?" he asked carefully. "That you're my Daddy?"

"Yes, I am. I..." He threw a quick glance at Hermione, who gave him an encouraging look. "Like your Mummy said, I've been away for so many years because I was really busy. I'm...so happy I can finally meet you, Scorpius." At this moment, Draco was surprised he wasn't shaking visibly. He had found himself in quite a lot of complicated situations in the past, but, apart from a certain night at the astronomy tower, he had never been so afraid of making a mistake, of failing. There stood his son, meeting him for the first time and he feared that if he said just one wrong word, the little boy, who looked like a small version of himself, and his chance to finally do something right, would forever be lost for him.

But after what felt like eternity, a bright smile lit the little child's face. "Yay!" he exclaimed. "I wanted to meet you, too! Mummy said you can tell me about your adventures. They were really dangerous, right?"

"Some of them, yes," he answered, not missing the tiny, suppressed chuckle that escaped Hermione.

Scorpius' smile seemed to widen even more. "And you won't go away again?"

This was a question he should have been prepared for. Once again, Draco turned to Hermione. She was just looking back at him though, as curious as their son, waiting for his reply.

"No, I won't," he said then. "If you want me to stay here, I won't go away again." He paused before he added. "I think...I think I've been through enough adventures for now."

"Yes!" the little boy shouted in excitement, much to Draco's relief. His inner tension was still there, still strong, but slowly, ever so slowly, he could feel himself calming down again.

"Scorpius, why don't you show your Daddy around then?" Hermione asked. "He hasn't seen our new house yet and I'm sure he'd love to. So he knows it already when he visits us."

"Oh yes, I'll show you the house!" Closing the last bit of distance between them, Scorpius rushed over to Draco. His small hand closed around his father's bigger one in a tight grasp. For another moment, Draco felt paralysed. Entirely new feelings were filling his heart spreading into every inch of his body. The lump had returned, but this time, it wasn't caused by pain. Instead he felt overwhelmed in a way he had never experienced before. "Come on, Daddy! Do you want to see my room first?"

Those few words were all he had needed to hear. "Yes, sure," he managed to say quietly. Once again, he turned to Hermione. This time, she was smiling at him; a whole new smile. Draco took it in for just a second, then he followed his son down the hallway.


	6. Everything is New, Everything is Differe

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Everything is New, Everything is Different**

She had seen how nervous he had been right the moment he had appeared in front of her house. Hermione could understand Draco. He had been about to meet his son for the first time. She could only imagine what he had been going through during the last couple of hours.

But things had turned out as well as she had hoped for. She couldn't deny it amazed her how easy Draco got into interacting with their little boy. The awkwardness from the beginning had quickly disappeared.

And what had been supposed to be a short visit had expanded into an hours long one. It fascinated her how much patience he had with Scorpius.

Yes, introducing father and son to each other had been a good idea; Hermione was convinced by that now.

And so she hadn't been surprised when Draco had agreed to her idea that he would stay for dinner. While they had been sitting around the dining table, Scorpius had to be reminded several times that he was supposed to eat; too busy he was with informing his father about anything and everything that came to his mind.

It continued like that until Scorpius had finally finished dinner and fell asleep in his chair right away.

"This never gets old," Hermione said with a playful sigh as she lifted the sleeping boy up into her arms. "He's hyped up for hours and then he suddenly falls asleep as if someone knocked him out."

"I was like that as well when I was younger," Draco told her, studying his son with a smile. "I used to fall asleep at the dining table, in the middle of my room while playing...in fact everywhere."

"Now I know where he got that from." She returned his smile. It was a strange feeling she had to admit. Even though things between them had gotten so much better during their last year, they had never interacted like that with each other. Something was different. It was a more mature, more honest way of interaction and she couldn't deny she enjoyed it a lot. Who would have thought it would be so nice to be around Draco Malfoy for so many hours? "I'll quickly put him to bed. You'd like to stay a little longer? So we...um, maybe could talk before you go?"

"Sure." The way he looked at her once again said more than thousand words.

"That's something I need to get used to," she said more to herself.

"Excuse me?" Draco gave her a questioning look.

Hermione blushed a little. "Well, you being nervous. It's not something I ever saw before. It's strange." She paused. "There's no need to be though."

And with those words, she left the dining room. As she made her way down the hallway to Scorpius' room, she could hear Draco getting up and heading into her living room. Once again, like so many times before in the past and especially during the last couple of hours, she wondered what was going on inside his mind.

How had it felt like for him to spend a whole afternoon with a four years old child? Had he gotten a first, tiny insight into what it meant to be a father? What was he thinking? What was he feeling?

During the last couple of hours, Hermione hadn't seen the cold, emotionless mask which he used so often at all. In fact, she would go so far and say he had been happy. In a way he had probably never been happy before.

Making sure she didn't wake him up again, Hermione put Scorpius into his bed. She watched her sleeping child for a couple of moments like she always did before she quietly left the bedroom again. As she headed back into the living room, she found Draco sitting on her couch again, staring at the floor in front of him, obviously miles away with his thoughts. She cleared her throat to make her presence known, making him snap back to the present.

"Let's hope he sleeps until the next morning and doesn't decide to wake up in the middle of the night," Hermione said to break the silence between them; a silence that could quickly get awkward. "I have to work tomorrow, so I can't really sleep in."

"You have to work?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Um...yes. Someone has to pay the bills," Hermione told him, feeling how her cheeks started to flush again.

"You wouldn't have to work if you made me pay for him," Draco stated, in the calm, emotionless voice that revealed more about his feelings than he would ever dare to admit.

"I'm not after your money," she said. "Money isn't the world. Besides I like to work. I'm just working part time anyway. At the Ministry." Her cheeks reddened even more. "I'm working on...well, a few laws."

"Let me guess; you're fighting for a better world for house elves and whoever else is in need of your help, aren't you?" he asked with a smirk.

"Am I that predictable?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Sometimes," he answered.

Hermione nodded slowly. Once again, she used the moment to study him. She knew it would take a while until she would get used to this situation. For five years, she had wondered what would happen if Draco found out about his son. Now things had turned out so different to what she had imagined.

"What about you?" she asked then. "Yesterday you said you want to take care of yourself. Do you also have a job now?"

"I do indeed, yes." Draco sighed. "Thanks to Potter, believe it or not. I was at the Ministry when I ran into him. He was quite surprised to see me. Now I know why." He gave her a thoughtful look before he continued, "Anyway, he figured out that I was looking for a job and he offered me one. Means I have to work for Potter now, it's also just a part time job and I kind of have to do this paperwork, but well, that's the prize you have to pay for a fresh start."

Hermione had to bite her bottom lip to not laugh at Draco's expression. Some things would never change and she knew very well how much he disliked the idea of working for Harry, especially in such a position. It was the worst he could do to his own pride. Then again his behaviour also fascinated her; if he was willing to make such a step, he was serious about starting fresh. About taking care of himself and becoming an independent man. He had stopped being the younger version of his father, much to her relief.

"Harry will be a nice boss, you'll see," she said then.

Draco glared at her playfully. "I know you love everybody's hero, but be honest, don't you think he'll love the idea of me working for him? Don't you think he'll be tempted to use that for his own advantage?"

Hermione chuckled. "That's what you might do, but Harry's not like that. He might tease you a little. Just a little. But he won't let you suffer. He's an adult now. Besides, he won't do any harm to his Godson's father."

"He and his Weasley girl are Scorpius' Godparents?" Draco sighed deeply. "I already suspected that."

"Hey, don't be mean! I've just started to believe you can be nice."

He grinned. "I'm a Slytherin, darling. Always be prepared. Don't forget about that." He paused, breaking the eye contact, staring at the floor again. She could almost see all the thoughts that were running through his mind at this moment. He was struggling with something and she decided to stay quiet, waiting for him to speak up again.

"What exactly are we doing here?" he asked then, looking up at her with an expression she couldn't fully interpret. "Small talk. I doubt that's what you had in mind when you asked me to stay."

Hermione stared back at him in silence. There were indeed a few things she wanted to talk about. But she didn't know how to voice her thoughts. Yes, he had changed, but still he was Draco Malfoy, a man who was so different to everyone she knew. He had learnt to be nice and friendly, but she knew one wrong word could make him pull up his old façade and things would get complicated again.

"I was just wondering," she started then. "Well, I was wondering how it was like for you. To spend time with your son. I know how strange it was for me in the beginning, and I had nine months to get prepared for him. How...how do you feel about being a father?"

His eyes narrowed slightly at her question. "Do you think I changed my mind?"

"No!" She shook her head. "No, I don't think that at all. I'm just...wondering." She sighed. "This is not a test, Draco. There's no right or wrong answer, I also didn't want to be around today to test you either."

He stared back at her in a way that once again made her want to read his mind. She knew he was trying to figure out if she was honest or not. If he could trust in her. She had never doubted that he was as suspicious of her, Harry and Ron as they were of him, even though he had given them far more reasons to feel that way.

"I'm not good at this," he finally answered. "At talking about my feelings. I was taught that you shouldn't do that. Always be in control over yourself. First lesson you have to learn if you want to be in control over others." His voice trailed off and once again, her heart ached a little, like it had done the previous night.

"If you show feelings, it makes you weak," she said quietly. "It makes you vulnerable. People can see your weak spots and use them for their advantage. That's what your father taught you, didn't he?"

He tensed slightly at her words. "Don't pretend you understand me, Granger. That trick doesn't work."

Hermione knew she had reached the point where their conversation could head into the wrong direction. He was afraid; afraid of what would happen if he spoke out what he had in mind. In front of her. Granger. His former enemy. The woman who had the power to prevent him from seeing his son ever again. He wasn't in control and she could see how much he was struggling with that fact.

"You know what," she said then, hoping her instinct wouldn't betray her. "Yes, we've had a rocky past. But we're parents of a little boy now and if we want to make this work, we'll have to be around each other a lot from now on. So don't you think we should get over this finally? Shouldn't we stop constantly believing that we might use our knowledge about each other for our advantage? We're adults now. Parents. We should behave like that. Not like the students we've once been."

For another couple of moments, he stared at her in silence, before he broke the eye contact again. She was sure he would attempt to drop the topic, but then he started to speak.

"What do you think how it's like for me?" he asked her. "Since I was a little boy, I tried everything I could to impress my father and make him proud. I kept on failing. In fact, my whole life so far was one big fail. And now...well, there's finally something I can be proud of. I have the chance to do something right. I can show that I learnt from my mistakes, and from those of my father. What do you think how that feels like?"

His voice trailed off and he focused his eyes on the floor again. Hermione didn't dare to move. She was impressed by his unexpected honesty. She knew he had more to say. She could see it in his eyes. He hadn't reached the point where he could admit it yet, but she knew what he had in mind. For the first time in a long while, maybe for the first time in his life, he felt like he didn't have to succeed to be loved. Because all he had to do for earning Scorpius' love was being there. Being the father the little boy needed. Nothing more, nothing less. A whole new experience for someone who believed he had to work for love and could lose it the moment he would fail.

A sound from the living room door interrupted them both in their thoughts. In the doorway stood a yawning Scorpius.

"Hey, sweetie, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked her son.

He yawned again. "Wanted to know if Daddy's still here." He smiled tiredly.

Hermione mirrored her son's smile. "Do you want Daddy to put you to bed?"

Scorpius nodded eagerly. "Yes, please."

"You heard him Daddy. Put him to bed." Hermione turned to Draco. Once again, his expression said more than words could. She watched him as he got up, picked the sleepy little boy up and left the living room. Yes, they had had a rocky past. But maybe, just maybe, they had found a way to earn each other's trust.


	7. Excitement

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Excitement**

The first sunrays that found their way into her bedroom woke her up. Stretching, Hermione released a comfortable sigh. She had slept well; much better than she had in a while. Things had turned out so much better than she had ever dared to imagine. How could she not sleep well?

Who would have thought that it was so easy to have an arrangement with Draco Malfoy? Of course Hermione expected that things wouldn't always stay so easy. There would be misunderstandings and disagreements here and there.

But all in all, she was convinced that they would get along. They wanted the best for their son, and that meant working together, not against each other.

Yes, they had come far from where they had started. All the hate and jealousy had been left behind. Who would have expected that years ago?

The sound of her bedroom door being opened carefully caught her attention then. Pretending to be still asleep, Hermione fought against the urge to smile. The door was pushed open further and further. Then she could hear the soft sound of footsteps that were approaching her bed. For a moment, everything was quiet and the urge to laugh got almost unbearable.

The mattress moved lightly as Scorpius climbed onto her bed. She could feel how he crawled over to her until he was kneeling next to her. By now, it was almost impossible to keep a straight face.

Especially as Scorpius poked her cheek. As she didn't react, he poked her again, more firmly this time.

"Mummy," he complained. "Are you still sleeping?"

This time, she couldn't hold back a chuckle. Her eyes flew open and she smiled up at her son. "Not anymore, sweetie!"

"Yay!" He clapped his hands before he let himself fall into one of her pillows.

"Why are you up already?" Hermione wanted to know. "Mummy doesn't have to go to work yet."

"I wanted to ask you something," Scorpius answered, giving her the curious look she only knew too well.

"And what might that be?"

Scorpius wrapped his arms around his pillow, glancing up at her with the expression that never failed to warm her heart.

"Where's Daddy?" he wanted to know.

"Oh." Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Um...well, Daddy went back to his own home. To his flat."

"But why?" Scorpius made a confused face. "Why doesn't he live here, with us?"

Hermione stared back at her son in silence. She should have been prepared for this question, but the previous day had overwhelmed her so much that she hadn't even thought about it. Now it was her job to come up with an explanation.

"Well," she started. "Daddy has his own flat, which is really nice. That way, you can play here with him and at his own place as well. Isn't that fun?"

Scorpius didn't look impressed. "But I want him to be here with us. He doesn't need a flat."

Hermione sighed softly. She cursed herself for not thinking about such a question earlier; at least she wouldn't have had to improvise. Then again she didn't know if more time would have allowed her to come up with any better answers.

After all, how was she supposed to explain to a four years old boy that Mummy and Daddy weren't married like the parents of most of his friends? That they weren't even a couple? How was she supposed to explain their situation to him in a way that it made sense and didn't confuse him even more?

For a moment, she was tempted to tell him that he should ask Draco about it, but she resisted this urge. Instead she ran a hand through his blond hair and said, "Maybe one day. But for now, Daddy has his own flat and it's...really nice. You'll surely have fun there, too."

Scorpius seemed to think about her answer for a moment. "Can I have pancakes?" he asked then.

Hermione sighed in relief. The fact that her son easily got distracted and changed his interests could be an advantage at time. "Yes, of course. And then we'll get you ready so that you can go and stay with Auntie Ginny."

Scorpius seemed to be satisfied with that. The fact that Ginny had become a professional Quidditch player had its advantages. There were times when she was busy with training and barely was around. At the moment, she didn't have any training at all and so not only had time to visit her best friend but also to babysit Scorpius when she had to work. A smile lit her face as she thought about the visit that was ahead for her friend; Ginny definitely wouldn't be bored with an excited little boy who had so many new stories to tell.

* * *

Never before, getting up in the morning had been easier. He had gotten used to adventures by now; waking up in the morning, not knowing what was ahead for him. It had been exciting, and Draco couldn't deny he had feared boredom when he returned to London, to a normal, ordinary life.

He couldn't have been more wrong. In fact, no adventure had been as exciting as what he was experiencing at the moment. The day before, he had met his son for the very first time. He had been so nervous at first, and so happy afterwards.

Of course he wouldn't tell Granger how overwhelmed and amazed he had really been. How wonderful it had felt like to see that his son loved him enough to ask if he would stay for dinner.

Yes, it was a whole new experience, and more beautiful than anything he could imagine. It was more than he could have ever asked for.

And he also knew that Granger was aware of how right she had been with her thoughts. That he had struggled with voicing his feelings because he didn't want to seem vulnerable in front of her. He was also convinced that she knew him better than he wanted her to, but in fact, she was right; they had to stop being so weary of each other. They were parents of a little boy. They had to learn how to trust in each other, no matter how difficult that would be.

Feeling much more confident than he had on the day before, Draco made his way through the Ministry, successfully ignoring the curious glances that were thrown into his direction. Yes, Draco Malfoy was back, working for Harry Potter. There was nothing too fascinating about that.

"Good morning, Potter," he greeted as he entered Harry's office and headed over to his desk. He didn't miss the confused look the other man was giving him. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Harry raised his eyebrows. "I'm just not used to you wishing me a good morning like that."

"It's only my second day, maybe that's to blame?"

Harry chuckled. "Of course. Or maybe it has to do with something else?"

Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry, trying his best to give him an angry look. "Oh, you mean the fact that you talked to me for an hour and worked together with me for half a day and not once mentioned the fact that you're the Godfather of my son?"

Harry made an uncomfortable face at this comment. "Well, I wasn't supposed to tell you. It's none of my business I'd say."

"Oh, since when is something none of your business, Potter?" Draco couldn't resist the urge to grin.

Harry rolled his eyes at him. "Some things never change, huh?" He paused. Draco could feel his eyes still focused on him. He knew there were a lot of questions Potter had to ask, but didn't dare to at the moment. They hadn't reached this point yet. Too much, he could still feel the old rivalry between them, even though the hate was gone.

"Now what do you want me to do for you today, Potter?" he decided to ask then, more than willing to move on from the awkwardness that was building between them.

"Oh." Harry nodded at a bunch of papers resting on his desk. "Could you take care of this? And I'd be happy if you could bring Hermione this scroll here."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at Potter's orders, Draco took the scroll from him. "What wouldn't I do to make you happy."

Harry just shook his head at him and sat down behind his own desk. Draco worked in silence for an hour, glad that Potter didn't try to start a conversation again. But after said hour, the urge to grab the scroll and use it as an advantage to head to Hermione's office got overwhelming. Trying his best to seem as calm and emotionless as possible, he got up. Potter's eyes were following every of his movements. He offered a casual look before he disappeared into the hallway, where he could finally speed up his steps.

By the time he arrived at Hermione's office, his heart had started to race again. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her. But once again, he needed his whole willpower to hide this fact in front of her as he walked through her office door.

"Hello Hermione," he greeted her, for a moment struggling to not use her surname again. "Potter asked me to give you this."

She looked up from her desk, giving him a surprised look. Biting his bottom lip, he resisted the urge to laugh at the sight in front of him. During all their years at Hogwarts, Draco had been convinced that Hermione Granger wasn't only the smartest but also the most organised witch he knew, as much as he hated to admit that.

And now there sat said witch, surrounded by books and scrolls that seemed to cover every single inch of her desk. Her hair, which had looked surprisingly tamed the day before, had turned into a wild mess again.

"Where did it go?" he added.

"Where did what go?" she asked back.

Draco grinned. "The tornado that did this to your desk and your hair. Must have been a big one."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "And I thought you learnt your lesson when you called me 'Hermione'. But sorry, I forgot. You're a Slytherin, you're unpredictable."

His grin widened. "Looks like you're the one who learnt her lesson." He stepped over to her, carefully placing the scroll on top of the mess that was her desk.

"Thank you," she said. As he didn't turn around to leave again, a little smile lit her face. "I can't believe it, are you seriously too shy to ask me what you have in mind?"

It was his turn to glare at her. Of course he couldn't blame her; if he was in her situation, he would also use his chance to tease her. Much worse than she was teasing him. Still he hated the feeling of being at the wrong side of a tease. It made him insecure and brought back the strong urge to defend himself. With insults if needed. This was Granger though. He wouldn't insult her. Because he would regret it but also, which surprised him the most, because he didn't want to.

"The first thing Scorpius asked me this morning was why Daddy doesn't live with us," she added then.

Draco's eyes widened in surprise. The look Hermione gave him revealed that she had spotted the emotions that he hadn't been able to hide. "He did?"

She nodded. "Yes. He doesn't really understand why you have your own flat. Why you can't just move in with us now that you're back."

"And what did you tell him?"

Hermione shrugged. "I said that for now, you'll keep it and that he can play at both places then, which should be fun. I was lucky that he was hungry and demanded his pancakes, otherwise I doubt this answer would have satisfied him."

Draco nodded. He didn't care so much for how good or lame her answer had been though. Instead she had said something else that had caught his attention.

"You said 'for now'," he stated more than he asked.

Her cheeks turned bright red within an instant. "Um...yes. Because...well, I think it was the easiest way to explain it to him."

"I see." Draco's grin returned. "So you're not playing with the idea to ask me if I don't want to move in with the two of you?"

Once again, Hermione glared at him. "I doubt that would be an option for you in the first place?"

"You didn't answer my question." His grin widened. Oh, how much he enjoyed to tease her like that, to make her blush. How much he loved when she was glaring at him like that. There was something sexy about it. No surprise things had gone so far, back then in the prefects' bathroom.

His eyes widened at his own thoughts. Shaking his head, he cleared his mind, preventing his thoughts from going further down this road.

"Well, I'm sure if you come around to see Scorpius often enough, he'll adjust to it," she said, her face red like a tomato now. Making sure he didn't get the chance to shoot another comment back, she added, "Do you want to see him again later? You could come around for dinner if you like. It's...probably the only way for him to eat anything."

Although he knew she had wanted to change the topic, Draco couldn't deny Hermione's suggestion had taken him by surprise. He had hoped that she would approach him so he wouldn't have to ask and that he would be able to see his son again soon. That she would offer him to come around already this evening was more than he had dared to expect.

"Sounds good," was all he managed to say.

Hermione nodded, offering a warm smile in return. Yes, Draco loved to tease her. But he couldn't deny that every kind of interaction with her had become rather enjoyable. But if that was thanks to Scorpius or not he couldn't tell.


	8. Interest

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Interest**

It was getting colder and colder with every day. Soft, warm breezes had been replaced by cold wind. The bright blue sky had turned grey, the trees had lost most of their leaves, the pavement was muddy.

Draco couldn't care less though. One month had passed since he had found out about his son and from that day on, he had gone through a surprisingly long phase of being happy.

Shuddering lightly, he wrapped his coat more firmly around himself as he Apparated in front of Hermione's house, protecting himself from the cold.

The changing weather had an advantage though; chances that he was caught by curious muggle weren't high.

Why exactly Hermione had moved into an area full of muggle he would never fully understand. Then again her parents were muggle and in fact she had chosen a calm, beautiful part of London's suburbs.

Politely, he knocked on Hermione's front door. Of course he could always Apparate right into her house, but he knew she didn't like that at all. Even her best friends weren't allowed to do that and he couldn't deny he also didn't like the idea of someone appearing in the middle of his flat out of nowhere.

That muggle seriously believed that locking their front door was enough to prevent people from getting inside still amused him though. Of course said muggle didn't know about wizards and witches who didn't need to go through doors if they wanted to enter someone's place.

From the other side of the door, Draco could hear the sound of fast footsteps approaching the door. A broad smile lit his face as he could feel the familiar excitement rising deep within him. Although he had visited Scorpius almost every day during the last month, it still was something he didn't care for granted. His son was the most precious gift he could imagine.

"Who's there?" Scorpius' voice asked.

"It's your Daddy," Draco answered.

A moment of silence followed. "Is it really you?" he wanted to know. "Mummy says I have to make sure it's you before I let you in."

Draco suppressed a chuckle at his son's words. They had this discussion every single day when he came around for a visit. Maybe he should consider Apparating into Hermione's house next time.

"Yes, it is really me," he said. "You can let me in, Scorpius."

"And what's the password? You have to say the password first."

Draco raised his eyebrows. This was new. Mentally, he glared at Hermione, being convinced that this had been her idea. Or maybe Potter's, who knew.

"Um...how about pancakes?" he tried.

"Yes!" Scorpius squealed at the other side of the door, finally starting to unlock it. Draco laughed; he would have to teach his son less predictable passwords. After what felt like eternity, the door flew open finally and Draco opened his arms just in time to catch the little boy, who jumped forward in excitement.

"I was waiting for you!" Scorpius exclaimed, looking up at his father with sparkling eyes. "Can I fly again today? Please?"

Draco couldn't hide his pride at his son's question. He had been more than excited when Hermione had told him that Scorpius already owned his first broomstick thanks to Potter and had been flying around on it on a couple of occasions. He would make sure the little boy learnt how to fly properly before he would go to Hogwarts. Then he could join the Quidditch team of his house.

Which would be Slytherin, he thought, grinning at the knowledge that Hermione would definitely hope for another house. That probably meant Scorpius would become a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw though.

"Yes, sure." He nodded in agreement. "But you know you have to wear your Quidditch clothes for that, right? So your normal clothes won't get dirty."

Scorpius nodded eagerly. "I'll put them on!"

With those words, he hurried down the hallway and disappeared in his bedroom. But before Draco could decide what to do next, a voice coming from the other end of the hallway caught his attention.

"Draco, is that you?" Hermione shouted from what her bathroom.

"Yes, Scorpius was careful enough not to let me in without the correct password," he said with a grin, making his way over to said room. He stepped into the doorway, just to stop and stare at her in surprise.

There, in front of her mirror, stood Hermione Granger, wearing a stunning, black dress. The sight in front of him made him speechless. By the time he had stopped seeing her as his enemy years ago, he had already admitted to himself that she had become a beautiful young woman. Now, five years after their last meeting, she had moved from beautiful to stunning. Dressed up like that, she simply took his breath away.

The dress was fitting her perfectly, emphasizing her female curves. Somehow she had managed to tame her wild hair; the curls looked soft and silky. He couldn't help but study her, taking in every inch of what he could say. Yes, she was a beautiful woman. An incredibly sexy woman. He would be lying if he said anything else. He definitely liked what he was seeing.

"Is everything alright?"

Her question interrupted him in his thoughts. Realising she had caught him staring, he straightened himself. She looked a little confused, which didn't surprise him. Knowing Hermione much better now thanks to the time he had spent around her during the last few weeks, he assumed she had no idea how she really appeared to a man.

"I was just thinking that you look fantastic," he decided to say. Much to his amusement, she flushed bright red within an instant.

"Oh, was that a compliment? From you? For me?" She stared at him in faked shock.

"Yes, believe it or not, but you've become a stunning woman, Granger," he said with a grin. Quickly correcting himself, he added, "Hermione I mean."

She chuckled. "One day you'll learn it."

Not minding his presence, she continued taking care of her make-up. He watched her in silence for a couple of moments. Then another realisation hit him; one he didn't like too much.

"Why are you dressed up like that in the first place?" he wanted to know, dearly hoping he didn't sound too curious or interested. "Are you going out for a date?"

"A date?" She laughed amused. "No, definitely not."

"What's wrong with the idea?" he wanted to know.

Hermione shook her head. "I have a son, you remember? First of all, I don't have time for dating anyone. Finding someone who's interested in a young single mother isn't easy either. And besides, I always have to keep Scorpius in mind when I make a decision. Everything involves him, too."

"That means?"

She sighed. "It means that I don't want to show up with a man here and introduce him to Scorpius, just to tell him a few weeks later that said man won't come around anymore because things didn't work out. He has his father now, he doesn't need random men showing up here and there just because I might want to be in a relationship."

"But you never know, you could meet the perfect man out there," Draco said, mentally cursing himself. What exactly was he doing? In fact, he agreed with her; Scorpius had his father. Other men would just get into the way and cause unnecessary confusion. He was just working on his relationship with his son; he didn't need strangers to get involved.

And apart from that, he strongly disliked the idea of Hermione dating a stranger as well. For a moment, he imagined her with an unknown man; he imagined how said man would wrap his arms around her, would pull her close. He imagined how this stranger would run a hand through her curly hair, would lean in and kiss her. Just the mental image of that made him furious already and he had to shake his head to clear his mind.

No, he didn't like the idea of Granger dating anyone. Not that he would be jealous. Or maybe...

"Well, I doubt it," she said then, just in time to prevent his thoughts from further going down this road. Once again, he shook his head. She was the mother of his son. Of course things were easier when she didn't date. That was the only reason why he was bothered by this idea. At least that would be the official version.

"What are you going to do then?" he wanted to know, deciding to drop the topic before he could talk himself into trouble.

"I'll meet Ginny," Hermione answered. "Originally I wanted to meet Luna and Lavender as well, but they're busy. So it's just Ginny and me. We'll go to a lovely bar. I didn't do that in ages." She chuckled. "In fact I've never really had time to do that."

Draco nodded, ignoring the relief he felt at her words. "Have a great time with them."

Hermione smiled in response. Tearing his eyes away from the sight in front of him, Draco headed into the living room. A lot had changed during the last couple of years, but even more during the last couple of weeks. Things that confused him. But if his father had taught him something, it was how to control his thoughts and feelings. There was no reason why it shouldn't work now. He was confused, yes. But he could handle that. Most definitely.

* * *

"Ah, we really have to do this more often now that you have a decent babysitter," Ginny said, taking another sip of her drink.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Oh yes. At least now I have time for this without having to feel bad."

Ginny chuckled. "So true." Then she grinned. "So Draco asked you if you're going out on a date."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He did, yes, but why is that so interesting to you?"

"Why?" Ginny shook her head at her best friend. "What do you think why he asked you about that?"

Hermione shrugged. "Because he wanted to know why I dressed up like that?"

"That's the boring explanation," Ginny told her. "But how about this? He wanted to know if there's a rival for him."

"A what?" Hermione asked disbelieving. "Ginny, please! He even asked me why I didn't like the idea of dating. He wanted to talk me into it!"

"Yes, because men are stupid," Ginny stated. "They're incapable of just saying what they have in mind. Look at Harry. Or Ron. Do you remember how Ron thought up this stupid story in our fourth year to show Harry that he cared for him instead of just opening his mouth and apologizing?"

"Yes, I remember it, but what does that have to do with Draco?" Hermione could feel her cheeks started to redden. Ginny was honest, which was a big advantage at times. But there were moments like this where said honesty just made her feel uncomfortable. "I'm just the mother of his child, that's all."

"Oh yes, Hermione, that's all of course." Ginny rolled her eyes. "So you want to tell me that there's absolutely nothing between you? If that's true, how exactly did you get pregnant again?"

Hermione glared at her friend, cursing herself for blushing even more. "That was once."

"Maybe if you told me what exactly happened during said night, I'd understand you better," Ginny teased.

Hermione groaned. "Ginny! I won't! That's only Draco's and my business. Yes, we slept with each other and yes, I enjoyed it. But we only did it once and now we're just parents of a little boy. That's all."

"So you want to tell me that you're not attracted to him at all, Hermione?" Ginny wanted to know. "I mean, look at him. He's become an attractive man. Of course he can't be compared to Harry."

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle. "Why are you trying to convince me so much? This is Draco Malfoy, remember? There was a time when you really disliked him."

"That was before he woke up and realised what a stupid idiot he's been." Ginny smiled at her. "Hermione, I just want you to be happy. I know you'd never say a word, but you're not so comfortable with three couples around you while you're the single Mum. The two of you seem to get along so well. Who cares for what has happened in the past? He's the father of your child. If there are any chances for the two of you being interested in each other, I'd try to make you see it."

"That's sweet of you, Ginny," Hermione assured her friend. "But I'm okay with the way things are. I don't mind to be around couples. And Draco and I...maybe we've become something like friends during the last couple of weeks. Having a child brings you closer together. But that's all."

Ginny nodded slowly in response. Hermione knew she hadn't convinced the other woman at all. But right now, she didn't mind. She knew her best friend just wanted her best. But she and Draco had become friends by now; that was much more she had ever expected. For her, Ginny was just reading too much into this.


	9. Lonely?

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Lonely?**

It was far after midnight already as Hermione arrived at home. She couldn't deny she was exhausted; she and Ginny had moved from one bar to the next at Diagon Alley. But fortunately neither of them had gotten drunk. A butterbeer here and there had been okay, but Hermione didn't want to come home in such a state. Or wake up with a hangover the next day.

Expecting that the house was left, she Apparated into her living room, just to jump in surprise as she spotted someone lying on her living room couch. Said person was facing the back of the couch, deep asleep obviously.

"Draco?" she whispered, quietly making her way over to the couch. He didn't react to her, obviously hadn't even heard how she had Apparated into the room in the first place.

She stood next to him for a moment, unsure on what to do next. She hadn't expected to find him at home. They had agreed that he could take Scorpius to his flat for the night.

"Draco?" she repeated, gently shaking him. He stirred, but needed another shake to blink and open his eyes, just enough to look up at her.

"Granger?" he asked confused.

Blaming the fact he was still half asleep for his use of her surname she answered, "What are you doing here?"

"Sleeping," was the short answer.

"Yes, but I thought you wanted to take Scorpius to your place," Hermione answered.

"What for?" Yawning, he tried to free himself of her grip to roll back over. "No one wants to be there."

"What do you mean?" She raised her eyebrows in confusion. "I thought Scorpius loves being over there with you."

"But I don't." He attempted to glare up at her. "Let me sleep, Granger."

His behaviour was confusing her too much to let go of him though. She knew he was barely awake and probably didn't even know what he was saying. But there was something in his eyes and his words that had caught her attention.

"Why don't you want to be at your flat?" she asked him.

"Because it's empty," he complained between yawns. "No one's there. I'm tired of that."

"But you wouldn't be alone if you went with Scorpius," she said, still not completely understanding his problem.

He snorted. "Yes, and then he goes back to you and I'm alone. I'm always alone. I've always been. I'm tired of that."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. She had already figured out that some people were a lot more honest when they were drunk, but that being sleepy like that could have the same effect was new to her.

She knew Draco would have never revealed how lonely he truly felt if he had been fully aware of what he was saying. And as she studied him in silence, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

He had travelled around the world during the last couple of years, had met a lot of new people, but there had been no constant for him. During his last years at Hogwarts, he hadn't really had many people to rely on either; Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini had mostly been busy with each other, having barely any time for their old friend.

In fact, so she had to admit, she wondered if he had ever really felt like anyone really cared for him. Most Slytherins had looked up to him, mostly because of his money and power hungry father. Loneliness seemed to be familiar to him; there was no doubt about that.

"Would you like to stay here for the night?" she asked although there wasn't really any other option. As he nodded, she added, "Go back to sleep then. I'll wake you up in the morning."

Once again, he only nodded in response. Hermione reached for the blanket that was resting on the armrest of her couch and wrapped it around him. She could feel her maternal instincts kicking in; something that happened quite often since she had become a mother.

It didn't take Draco longer than a couple of minutes to fall asleep again. Hermione stood next to him for another couple of moments though. She couldn't deny that the knowledge of him feeling so lonely that he rather wanted to stay at her house than at his flat pained her. He was willing to start fresh, but things were a lot easier if one knew there was a person they could rely on.

And as she stood next to him, watching him as he was sleeping, she wondered if maybe, just maybe, she could try and be this person for him.

* * *

When he woke up the next morning, Draco needed a couple of moments to remember where he was. Slowly, memories of the previous day rushed back then. He and Scorpius had spent the whole afternoon and evening with flying on broomsticks or playing any other possible game that came to the child's mind.

This had resulted in him being so tired that he had fallen asleep close after putting the little boy to bed. Hermione's couch had looked quite appealing. He had barely sat down when he had already been deep asleep.

Draco narrowed his eyes in concentration as he tried to remember what had happened later. He knew Hermione had woken him up. He also knew that he had talked to her.

It took him a while to remember what he had said and shaking his head, he mentally cursed himself.

How could he have been so stupid? Yes, he had been barely awake, but couldn't he have had better control over himself. How could he tell her that he hated his place because he felt lonely there?

Running his hands through his hair, he rolled onto his back, just to be greeted by a giggle and the bright smile of his son.

"Daddy, you're awake!" he squealed. "Get up, Mummy and I are waiting with breakfast for you!"

"I'm on my way," Draco yawned. Scorpius hurried back into the kitchen. It never failed to amaze him how awake and hyped up the little boy could already be that early in the morning. Still sleepy, he headed to the kitchen as well. He couldn't ignore the discomfort that was rising deep within him as he made eye contact with Hermione.

Did she still remember everything he had said? Most definitely. And what was she thinking about him? He couldn't tell. He didn't want her to pity him, but he knew that Granger tended to feel sorry for others. This fact caused his discomfort to increase.

"Good morning," he said, hoping he would be able to overplay his feelings.

"Good morning," she replied. "Did you sleep well on my couch?"

"More or less." He joined her and Scorpius at the lovingly set table. Another feeling joined his discomfort; a strange one that once again managed to confuse him. The fact that he would have to go back to his flat later felt less and less appealing to him. "Do you always have so much for breakfast?"

Hermione chuckled. "No, but I think three people eat more than two, right?" She turned to their son. "Scorpius, will you sit still finally? You're supposed to eat your pancakes, not fall off your chair."

"But Mummy, I need to tell Daddy!" the little boy complained.

"You need to tell me what?" he wanted to know.

Scorpius giggled again. "Mummy, may I tell him?"

Hermione smiled at him warmly. "If you promise to eat your pancakes then, yes."

Scorpius' smiled widened even more. "Daddy, will you go to the lake with us today?" he asked excitedly.

"To the lake?" Draco raised his eyebrows in confusion.

Hermione nodded. "Scorpius and I like to go to a lake not far away from here. It's a nice place."

"There is even a beach!" Scorpius exclaimed. "And you can go swimming, too!"

"But isn't it a little too cold for that?" Draco wanted to know.

"I doubt anyone will go swimming there today," Hermione answered with a side glance at their son. "But it's still nice if you want to go for a walk."

Draco narrowed his eyes at her. Scorpius had made the offer, but he couldn't help the thought that Hermione had encouraged the little boy to ask. What if she just wanted him to go with them because she believed he would feel lonely otherwise? What if she had encouraged Scorpius to ask him just because she was pitying him?

"You don't have to..." he started.

"That's not what it's about," she interrupted him, giving him a meaningful look. There was no doubt that she knew very well what he had in mind. "We'll go to the lake later and if you like, you can come with us. Except you have something else to do instead."

Once again, he raised his eyebrows at her. Draco knew she was giving him the option to back off. Even though Scorpius would be disappointed, he could always say he didn't have time. Something inside him rebelled against his thoughts though. He had two options; either being alone at his flat or spending time with his son. He would be stupid if he chose the first one.

"Alright," he said then. "I'd love to see this mysterious lake."

Scorpius' eyes sparkled with excitement as he embraced his father. Draco didn't miss the look Hermione was giving him. Of course he knew she was pleased that he had agreed. Probably because of what he had told her. But even though it was difficult for him to accept that she was doing something nice for him, he decided to ignore his pride. At least this time.

* * *

"I really don't think that's a good idea at all," Draco said, making one of those faces that made Hermione want to roll her eyes at him. Some things would never change.

"And why not?" she asked him as he eyed her car wearily. "You know there are wizards and witches who do use cars at times."

"But no muggle cars," he answered, shaking his head at her in disbelief.

She glared at him. "Be glad Scorpius is sitting inside already!"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying anything bad about muggle and you know I wouldn't do that in front of him either. But...I'm not going to sit in there. And let you drive it. Why can't we just Apparate?"

"Because it's a place a lot of muggle go to," Hermione told him firmly. "It's an open area. You can't just Apparate in front of a bunch of muggle."

He stared back at her with an expression that clearly told her he had more to say. Draco decided to stay quiet though and sighed deeply.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" he asked.

Hermione smirked at him. Of course she would never admit it, but she enjoyed the way he had learnt to be polite and agreed with her ideas. Handling him like that had become so much easier. "No, you don't," she said.

Releasing another sigh, he shrugged. "Fine, but I hope you know what you're doing. If you're as bad with driving as you are with flying..."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Just get into the car, Malfoy."

It was his turn to grin. "So we're back to the surnames?"

Without starting any further discussions though, he did like he was told. Still with an uncomfortable expression, Draco sat down in the passenger's seat. She knew he hated the situation he had gotten himself into; not only was he facing something that was new to him, he also had no idea what to do next.

"You have to buckle your seatbelt," Hermione told him, suppressing the urge to laugh.

"Daddy doesn't know how!" Scorpius giggled.

"No, I don't." Draco flashed her a glare. "Will you just enjoy the show or help me?"

Playfully, she rolled her eyes at him. "Fine, I'll show it to you, so you should know what to do next time." She leant in, reaching around him for the seatbelt.

As she grabbed it though, she realised what exactly she was doing. Almost pressed up against him, she could feel his warm breath tickling her face. Instantly, she could feel her cheeks heating up, her heart beating faster. It had been a long while since she had been so close to him for the last time, and she could clearly remember what had happened back then.

Flushing even more, she hurried to buckle his seatbelt for him before she brought herself back into her former position. But she didn't miss the look he was giving her.

"Is everybody ready?" she asked, cursing herself for the odd sound of her voice.

While Scorpius shouted a 'yes' at her, Draco said, "Ready when you are", in a voice that made her want to slap him. She had invited him because she didn't want him to be lonely at home; she was more than willing to offer the support one needed for a fresh start. But once again, she realised this wouldn't be easy. There was something going on that confused her and she was curious how their day at the lake would turn out.


	10. Talk to Me

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Talk to Me**

The car ride to the lake had turned out the way Hermione had expected. While Scorpius had been happily talking to himself while describing everything he saw, Draco had stared out of the front window as if he would get into serious danger every second.

She had refused to comment on his behaviour though. Of course he wasn't used to anything muggle did and although she was a good driver, she could imagine sitting next to her like that was a scary experience for him.

Still it was amusing and entertaining for her as well. Draco would have to get used to doing things the muggle way at times if he wanted to be around them more often.

And to her surprise, he didn't complain anymore. Probably because he knew that complaining wouldn't get him anywhere.

Hermione didn't miss his sigh of relief as she parked the car near the beach that surrounded the beautiful lake. It took him a while to unbuckle his seatbelt, but his expression prevented her from helping him. He was doing his best to be friendly to her when Scorpius was around, but she could imagine there were moments when he would snap anyway and she didn't want to provoke any insults.

"Mummy, can I go? Please?" Scorpius asked, jumping up and down in excitement. As she nodded, he grinned and rushed off towards the beach.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Draco wanted to know, watching his son with a concerned expression.

Hermione gave him a playful hurt look. "Why do you doubt all my ideas today?" She paused. The temptation just was too big. "The car ride wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Are you kidding me?" Draco stared at her in disbelief. "That was horrible! How can anyone enjoy that when they can Apparate? All these cars, everywhere!"

"You'll have to get used to it," Hermione simply stated. "And speaking of my other idea, as you might have noticed, there are no other people around, so keeping a close eye on Scorpius shouldn't be a problem. Besides, he knows he's not allowed to go into the water."

"Yes, he might know, but who says he'll listen to that?" Draco asked her.

"I raised him," she told him.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Well, that says all obviously."

They walked in silence for a while, all the time watching their child, making sure he didn't get too close to the water or too far away from them. Hermione could feel that Draco was fighting with himself. She had a suspicion of what he wanted to say to her, but she didn't want to ask him. If he had a problem, it was his job to bring it up.

"You didn't have to do this," he said then, like she had expected.

She sighed. "Draco, I..."

"Don't," he interrupted her. "Don't do that. Don't tell me 'that's not what it was about'. I know how you are."

Hermione glanced back at him in silence, unsure on what to say. She had expected he would understand that she had arranged this trip to the lake so he wouldn't feel lonely at home. Should she talk her way out of this topic? Then again, it was her chance to be the mature one and show to him that lying and playing games wouldn't lead anywhere.

"Alright," she decided to say. "Yes, I wanted you to go with us because I felt sorry. I didn't pity you though. I just didn't want you to go home and be alone while you could spend a nice day at the lake with us. Draco, we have to get over this. We'll have to spend so much time with each other because of him. Don't you think we should finally learn to trust in each other? I'm not going to use your feelings against you, alright? I'm not like that."

Draco had narrowed his eyes while she had been speaking and she knew he had been close to interrupting her more than once. As she had reached the end of her speech though, his expression had softened, just a little bit. She could still see the old, familiar stubbornness in his eyes, but he wasn't a teenage boy anymore. He was an adult and she was grateful for the fact that he had learnt a lot from the past years.

"I don't need you to be my therapist," he told her.

"You think that's what I'm doing?" She shook her head at him. "Learn it finally, Draco. I'm not pitying you. I'm also not feeling like rescuing you or anything like that. I just want to be nice to you. You came back for a fresh start. No one should be left completely alone with that. I had so much support when I found out I was pregnant. I knew there were people who I could count on. You should have such people around you as well. If you want to accept that or not. I know you're one of those people who don't want anyone to help them or even to be nice to them. In fact there were times when I believed you wanted people to be mean to you. But you're father of a child now. You should deal with that and finally learn to accept other people around you."

Once again, he stared back at her, with an expression that was hard to interpret. It took him a while until he spoke again. "We'll see about that."

Hermione just nodded in response. Together, they made their way across the beach. It was a beautiful day; although a strong, cool breeze was blowing, the sky was blue, the sun was shining. It was definitely too cold to get anywhere near the water, but the fresh, cold air was refreshing.

It was a strange feeling to walk next to each other like that. They were indeed the only people on the beach. She couldn't help but think that to outsiders, they had to come across like a normal, little family. Little did they know how difficult things still were, yet they seemed to be heading into the right direction.

"When will you tell your parents about him?" she asked then as the sudden idea found its way into her mind.

His eyes narrowed once again as he stared ahead. Almost she felt like taking her question back as he finally bothered to reply.

"I told them already."

"You did?" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "But why didn't you tell me? How did it go?"

"Well, what do you think how it went?" Draco asked back. "Did they contact you yet? Did they ask if they could come around to meet him?"

His face looked harder than it had in a while as he still refused to look at her. Feeling uncomfortable now, she asked, "That doesn't sound good."

"No, it does not." Draco walked over to a near rock and sat down. His attention turned to Scorpius as she joined him and for another couple of minutes, he didn't say a word.

"My mother doesn't have that much of a problem with it," he continued then. "She just wants me to be happy. But my father..." He shook his head. "My father doesn't want me to have anything to do with Scorpius, or with you. He wants me to pay you whatever you want as long as you decide to leave the city or at least to keep the whole story to yourself."

Hermione had expected such an answer, yet she couldn't deny it hurt her. She had had no doubt that Lucius Malfoy still looked at her with disgust, but that he had such a problem with his son's child was a different story.

"He really has a problem with your family not being pureblood anymore," she stated.

Draco nodded. His face still looked hard, but his eyes couldn't hide his pain and disappointment. "He didn't learn anything. You'd believe he understood how wrong his believes were after the mess we got into because of him. After the war. You'd think he'd be glad that he wasn't sent to Askaban again. But what did he do? Shortly after things calmed down, everything we went through because of him was forgotten."

His voice trailed off as he shook his head. Hermione couldn't deny she was surprised how open he was speaking now considering the fact that he had a big problem with just accepting her idea of him joining her and Scorpius minutes ago. Obviously the topic was bothering him enough to open up to her and she wanted to use this chance.

"So he asked you to stay away from us," she summed up what he had said.

"Yes," he answered. "I said I won't stay away from either of you and that he has to deal with that. I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions. He said he won't accept that. I didn't talk to him since then." He sighed. "What do you think why I didn't want to tell you about this?"

"I'm sorry," Hermione answered, wishing he would finally look at her again. "I really hoped your father would have woken up by now. I didn't expect that he'd change his mind about me, but Scorpius..."

"It doesn't matter if he accepted just him or neither of you," Draco interrupted her. "You're his mother. He should be proud of the fact that his grandchild's mother is the smartest witch of her age. Someone who, although she didn't grow up with wizards like I did, was top of the class right from the start. He has to accept you and him, and I won't talk to him until he understands that."

Hermione's eyes widened. She didn't know what surprised her more; his determination or the fact that he had just defended her. That he wanted his father not only to accept his son but her as well. She hadn't been prepared for that.

"But you still talk to your mother, don't you?" she asked hopefully.

Draco nodded again. "At times. She comes around to see me when Father doesn't notice it. She'd also love to meet Scorpius soon. I told her I'd ask you, but I didn't know how to do that without bringing up this whole story."

Listening to his voice, Hermione couldn't help but feel touched by them. She was slowly getting used to the fact that this Draco couldn't be compared to the one she had to deal with for most of her school years. Still it took her by surprise that he first wanted to ask her before he introduced Scorpius to Narcissa Malfoy; there had been a time when he would have just done what he wanted to do, without asking for permission.

"I don't mind if she sees him," Hermione answered. She hesitated before she added, "If she...well, if she wants to..."

"She doesn't have a problem with you," Draco interrupted her. "She learnt her lesson." He paused again, visibly struggling with his rising emotions. Obviously there were moments when even he couldn't keep control over them completely. "She said that she almost lost me thanks to my father and his involvement with the Death Eaters. She told me that she knows how far a parent would go for their child. That's why she went to Snape; because she wanted to protect me. And she saved Harry because all she cared for was me. In fact...well, she respects you for hiding him in front of me because you did it to protect him. And as much as I hate to admit it, you were right. Who knows what my father would have done to us and Scorpius if he had found out about him back then."

Once again, Draco's voice trailed off. Hermione hadn't missed the strong emotions talking about his mother had caused. She knew they had a close relationship. Everyone had always assumed Draco had been closest to his father; the man who looked just like him, the man who had solved all his problems. It was his mother though who cared the most for him. Who had gone so far to protect him. Who accepted his decisions and even had said that she respected her, Hermione, one of those witches who she wouldn't have given a second look just years ago.

It was a sensitive topic and yet he had spoken about it so openly in front of him. Hermione knew that Draco was aware of that and she also knew it wouldn't take much more and he would push her away again. But this time, she wouldn't want thing to head into the wrong direction again.

"I'd be happy if Scorpius met his Grandma," she said then. Hesitating for a brief moment, she reached out for him then, carefully placing her hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. He didn't pull back, didn't even tense. "And for the case she wants to meet me, too...well, we could meet at my house. It's nothing big of course and maybe..."

"It's just fine," he said.

"Good," she said. "Just let me know when she has time and I'll arrange something."

Draco nodded in response, and for the first time since they had started this topic, he looked at her. He was still fantastic at hiding his feelings, but Hermione could see that he was grateful, because she had reacted in a way he could deal with, because she had been kind and open minded towards the idea of Scorpius meeting his grandmother. One step after the other; she knew sooner or later, trusting in each other wouldn't be difficult anymore, no matter how long it would take them to get to this point.


	11. Family Meeting

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Family Meeting**

He was sitting on his living room couch, staring at the floor for at least an hour already, after he had given up on pacing up and down for at least another hour. Draco couldn't deny he was surprised how fast Hermione had agreed that his mother could meet Scorpius.

But how would such a meeting turn out? And what would happen if his father found out about it? While he was getting used to his new role more and more, he wasn't willing to make things complicated again.

Hermione didn't seem to mind that Narcissa Malfoy would meet their little boy though and if she didn't have a problem with such a meeting, why should he?

Still he couldn't do much against his rapidly increasing nervousness. Was it a good idea to make them meet now already?

Shaking his head, Draco ran his hands through his hair. A family meeting. Why hadn't he waited with that a little longer? Just the thought of it made him feel uncomfortable. Fortunately Hermione hadn't asked him to meet her parents yet. Who knew how the Grangers would react to him, considering the fact that they most likely had heard quite a lot of bad stories about him, too?

The Grangers, the Potters, Weasley and his girl, Longbottom and Lovegood. He knew she would make him meet her friends as well sooner or later. So far, she hadn't invited him to their Saturday dinners yet, but he knew Granger. She had asked him to go to the lake with her and Scorpius because she wanted to make sure he wasn't lonely. Meeting her beloved friends would be the next logical step. And an awkward one as well; he was convinced by that.

So deep in his thoughts, he jumped up from the couch as Narcissa Apparated into his living room. She looked relieved as she found him standing in front of her.

"Draco," she greeted him, closing him into her arms tightly. "I know I'm a little late, but your father left a little later than I expected him to, so I had to wait."

"It's okay." He smiled at his mother as he pulled back again. "You're here now."

Narcissa didn't look too pleased though as she joined him on his living room couch. "You and your father have to sort out your problems finally. This is going on for almost a month now. Will you avoid each other forever."

Draco sighed. He hated to see his mother like that. He could see the pain in her eyes; the whole situation was affecting her more and more.

"It's not my fault, Mum," he said. "I don't mind if things went back to normal again, but that's entirely up to him."

"I know, but you know how your father is," Narcissa replied.

"So?" Draco raised his eyebrows. "What am I supposed to do? He expects me to get rid of my own son. To pay Hermione so that she leaves London. Just so he can claim we're still a pureblood family! Didn't he learn anything from what we went through?" He paused. "Mum, I know you just want us to reunite again, but as hard as it is, that won't happen unless he changes. For all my life, I've looked up to him, he was my idol. But...I'm tired of this. I was never good enough anyway. Do you remember how he reacted when he found out Hermione was better at school than me? How he didn't talk to me for days because a Muggle-born had better grades than me?"

"Draco, you know your father loves you."

"Then I want him to show it!" Draco replied firmly. "He always put pressure on me. I was supposed to be sorted into Slytherin, I was supposed to be the best at school, to please the Dark Lord like he did."

Narcissa sighed. "He just wanted you to be like him."

"Yes, and I failed at that, and he never had a problem with showing that to me." Draco could feel the strong emotions which he had to deal with at the lake return. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I was so proud to be his son. I always wanted to please him, but I couldn't. And now look at what he's doing. He refuses to talk to me because I don't want to abandon my own child. Just because his mother is a Muggle-born!"

He shook his head, fighting with the returning lump in his throat. "I'm not a child anymore, Mum. I don't blindly follow him and nod my head at everything he says. I don't believe in this whole crap about the blood status anymore. And...I mostly likely won't abandon my son. Instead...instead I'll make sure he won't feel like I'll only love him when he succeeds. He's not the best at school? Fine, doesn't matter, although I fairly doubt that with Hermione as his mother. And...I don't even care if he'll be sorted into Slytherin. I'll still love him, even if he's sorted into Hufflepuff or even into Gryffindor. I...see, I just don't care, because I love my son, and if Father doesn't accept that, I don't want to see him anywhere near me again. I thought you understood that."

"Of course I do, Draco. I really do." Reaching out, Narcissa took her son's hands into hers. "I just wish there would be a way for you to get along, but right now, that seems to be impossible." He could see the hints of tears that were rising in her eyes, but still she managed to smile. "I'm proud of you, Draco. You've come really far. I know what it's like to love your child more than anything else in the world and I'm glad you're able to experience that now yourself." She hesitated before she added, "Do you think you could get me a photo of him one day? So I..."

"You won't need one," he interrupted her. "Hermione said you can see him if you like."

"Really?" Narcissa asked surprised.

Draco nodded. "She said she'd be happy if he met his grandmother. But..." It was his turn to hesitate. "Well, if you want to see him, you...I want you to treat her with respect."

"Why do you think I wouldn't do that?"

Draco raised his eyebrows at his mother. "Because she's a Muggle-born, because she isn't rich and only has a small house, because she's a single mother. There are many reasons."

"And you should know by now that I changed my views on Muggle-born," she told him. "I respect her. She must really love her son if she decided to raise him alone because she wanted to protect him. I won't do anything that might offend her."

He nodded. "Thank you."

It was Narcissa's turn to raise her eyebrows in a mix of surprise and curiosity. "It's not just about the boy anymore, is it?" As he gave her a confused look, she added, "At the beginning, you were only talking about him. About your father having to respect him. Lately, you also expect that he accepts Miss Granger as well. And you want me to be nice to her if I want to see my grandchild."

"She's his mother after all," Draco replied, hoping that his mother would drop the topic again. "So when do you have time for meeting them? I'll let Hermione know."

Narcissa gave him a suspicious look, decided to go along with his change of topic though, much to his relief.

* * *

"Mummy, I don't want this!" Scorpius complained, pouting as he stared up at his mother with a glare.

"But I want you to look especially pretty today, sweetie," Hermione answered, making another attempt at getting her son's arms into the silky black jacket.

"But why?" the little boy whined, trying to wiggle away but failing.

"Because your Grandma is coming around to visit us today," Hermione told him, dearly hoping that her son wouldn't feel her nervousness and be affected by it. "It's your Daddy's Mum and because you and I are meeting her for the first time here, we should look pretty, don't you think?" She pointed at her own black dress. "Look, Mummy wears something extra pretty today as well."

But Scorpius shook his head. "I don't like it. I want your pullover."

Hermione sighed deeply. She couldn't really blame her son; the miniature suit she had bought for him really didn't look comfortable. Fortunately she had managed to squeeze him into it finally. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Scorpius stared up at her.

"It's just for today," Hermione promised. "Next time, you don't have to wear it. And I promise I'll tell you a really great bedtime story today."

This prospect seemed to change Scorpius' mood. "Oh, what about?"

"That's a surprise," Hermione said with a wink.

Scorpius smiled. "And will Daddy stay and tell it together with you?"

Hermione hesitated. "Um...well, you can ask him. Or do you want him to read you a bedtime story instead?"

The little boy shook his head. "No, you and him together."

Hermione sighed again. "Alright, you can ask him later."

Scorpius nodded eagerly. "Oh, and I'll also ask him when he'll marry you."

"What?" Hermione stared at her son in shock. "What will you ask him?"

"When he'll marry you," Scorpius repeated as if it was the most normal fact in the world. "Dean Simpson's parents are married, Frankie Brown's parents are married and Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry are married, too! So you and Daddy have to marry. Right, Auntie Ginny?" Scorpius looked at Hermione's best friend, who was leaning in the doorway, watching the whole scene, trying her best to not break out into laughter.

"Well..." she started.

"Listen, Scorpius," Hermione interrupted her. "I told you already that sometimes, parents don't get married. That's really okay, sweetie. You don't have to ask Daddy if he wants to marry me."

"But I want to!" Scorpius told her.

Hermione could hear footsteps behind her. A moment later, Ginny knelt down next to her. "Scorpius, you really shouldn't ask your Daddy. Imagine he plans a surprise for your Mummy, then it would spoil it, right? It'd be like with the Christmas present Uncle Harry had for me last year, do you remember?"

"Yes!" Scorpius nodded again. "So I can't ask him then?"

Ginny shook her head. "Better don't." She gave him a smile. "And wow, look at what a pretty boy you are! You should go to the big mirror in the hallway and look at yourself. Like a really big boy!"

"Like a really big boy?" Scorpius' eyes widened in surprise and excitement as he jumped up and rushed out of his room to run to the mirror in question. Ginny smiled at Hermione proudly.

"You can thank me later," she said.

"You mean when he waits another day and then wonders why Draco didn't propose to me yet?" Hermione asked back.

Ginny laughed. "You'll see, my dear, one day he'll do exactly that."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her friend, cursing herself for blushing again. "He will not. And now drop the topic."

"It was your son who started it!" Ginny winked at her. "And now calm down, Hermione. You're driving yourself crazy for nothing. You're just going to meet his mother, that's all. Narcissa Malfoy already knows you anyway." She paused. "I see why you want to impress her with the house being pretty and you and Scorpius being dressed up, but I really hope you're not trying to convince her that thinking of Muggle-born as less worthy is wrong. Because..."

"I'm not trying to convince anyone. If that's what she believes, I don't want her near my child anyway," Hermione interrupted her. "And from what Draco said so far, he wouldn't accept that either."

"Oh, how much the two of you have in common," Ginny teased with a grin. "And yet you're so different from each other. But what do they say? Opposite attraction."

"Ginny!" Hermione glared at her friend, hating the fact that her cheeks had to be bright red by now. "I swear, if you don't stop this..."

"What, will you send your sexy Slytherin after me?" Ginny laughed. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist. I'll stop now. Hey, at least I could distract you for a moment."

"That you did." Hermione smiled. "Thank you for that." She wanted to say more but was interrupted by the doorbell.

"There are your visitors." Ginny got up. "Don't worry, it's not Lucius Malfoy you're about to face. You can do it." And with those words, she Apparated. Getting up as well, Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before she headed into the hallway, where Scorpius was already waiting for her.


	12. No Need to be Afraid

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 12: No Need to be Afraid**

It fascinated him how normal Apparating in front of Hermione's house had become for him. Being with his mother though was a different story. Draco couldn't deny he was nervous. Not because he feared what his mother would think of Hermione and Scorpius but because he was worried if she would behave the way she was supposed to.

"Remember what I told you," he said as they made their way up the front stairs of the small house. "Be nice to her. I know how she is; she's probably going crazy right now because of how nervous she is. Don't make it worse, that'd be unfair."

Narcissa raised her eyebrows at him. "Why do you believe I'd be rude to her, Draco? I'm not planning on doing that. You don't have to tell me how to behave in front of people, my son."

Draco sighed. "With being nice, I also meant not being over the top polite. That comes across as faked and is as bad as being rude, Mum. It's cold."

Narcissa shook her head at him. "You've changed so much, Draco. What happened to the boy who'd insult everyone who didn't agree with him?"

"Do you want to tell me that you want this boy back?"

"Of course not," she answered. "It's just interesting to see you like that. You don't want me to come across as cold and distant because you don't want your son's mother to feel uncomfortable. There was a time when you couldn't have cared less for something like that."

"That was before I stopped being a smaller version of my father," Draco stated. He rang the doorbell, straightening himself. This meeting already felt awkward to him before it had even started. He knew his mother; even though she had changed a lot of her views and had become friendlier to people over the years, he couldn't imagine her interacting with a little boy like Scorpius.

"It's a beautiful house, isn't it?" he said then. "It's not big, but imagine that she has to pay for it all by herself. She did really amazing with it." Draco didn't miss the look his mother gave him and he knew very well what she wanted to say; this was something he wouldn't have said a while ago either. Back then, when he had teased Weasley because of his family's house.

But before he could say more, the front door was opened and once again, the sight in front of him made Draco speechless for a moment. He had expected Hermione would get prepared for meeting his mother, although he had told her repeatedly that there was no need to be nervous. Still she had dressed up and looked simply stunning again. Her beautiful appearance didn't fit at all to the worried, nervous expression in her eyes.

"I know, we're a little early," Draco apologized. "I hope that's alright."

"Oh, of course it is," Hermione answered quickly. "I...it's nice to meet you again, Mrs. Malfoy." She offered her hand which Narcissa took. Draco mentally sighed at his mother's smile; it was the same distant, polite one she always used when meeting people outside her family, and he knew very well that Hermione didn't miss that.

"It's very nice indeed, Miss Granger," Narcissa answered.

Hermione nodded. Hesitantly, she made a step backwards, pushing the door open a little further. "Would you like to come in?"

Draco followed his mother as she headed inside. There was so much nervousness radiating from Hermione that it was starting to drive him crazy as well.

"Scorpius, come here, sweetie," Hermione called for their son. Following his mother's wish, Scorpius left the living room, shyly making his way into the hallway. Narcissa's expression immediately changed as she spotted the little boy. Her smile softened and as he hesitantly walked over to her, she knelt down to be on eye level with him.

"So you're Scorpius?" she asked, in a voice he hadn't heard for a very long time. "I'm your Grandma."

"Hello," Scorpius said, offering his small hand to Narcissa. She shook it gently.

"You look exactly like your Daddy when he was a little boy," she said.

Scorpius looked surprised. "Really?"

Narcissa nodded. "Yes, you do."

"Scorpius, why don't you show your Grandma your pretty room?" Draco suggested, noticing with a side glance that Hermione was incapable of saying anything. "You have so many nice toys."

Scorpius nodded. "Do you want to see them?"

"Of course, I'd love to." Getting up, Narcissa took Scorpius' hand.

"I'll...get everything ready for tea time," Hermione managed to say. A sigh of relief escaped her as Scorpius and Narcissa disappeared in the child's room. Draco shook his head at her.

"What are you doing to yourself?" he whispered. "Since when do you care what anyone is thinking of you?"

"I don't," Hermione answered, leading him into her small dining room. "But this is your mother, Draco. Scorpius' Grandma. That's a different story."

She looked away, picking up the plates and cups she had prepared. The finest set she owned he assumed. He watched her in silence as a sudden suspicion came to his mind.

"Are you afraid of her?" he wanted to know.

"Afraid of her?" she asked back, not looking up though.

"Yes." As she walked past him, he grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. "What's your problem, Hermione? What do you think she'll do when you don't impress her? Do you think she'll take him away from you? Because she thinks he, the little version of me, shouldn't grow up with you here?"

She still refused to look at him, but he could see how her cheeks flushed bright red at his words. He sighed deeply.

"I can't believe it." Draco shook his head at her. "That won't happen, alright? It doesn't matter what she thinks of you. You don't have to fake anything. Just be who you are and either she likes that or not. She also doesn't try anything to make you like her, and you have a lot more power over her."

"And what makes you believe that?" she wanted to know.

He groaned. "What do you think? She has to prove that she's good and nice enough to be allowed to see our son, Hermione, not vice versa! If she does anything that offends you today, she can be sure that she won't see Scorpius again. She's the one who should be nervous, not you." He sighed again. "What's happening to you? You've never feared anyone. You even spoke up against me who knows how often back in school. You stepped up and showed to everyone that you were proud of who you are. And now you're scared of my mother?"

"You don't understand this," Hermione answered, finally making eye contact with him. "I'm...I'm not a young girl anymore. I'm a mother. I love my son more than anything else in the world and just the slightest idea of someone trying to take him away from me scares me."

Draco nodded slowly. "And you think I don't understand that?"

It was her turn to sigh. "I know you were afraid that I wouldn't let you see him. I know you do understand it." Her voice trailed off and he noticed she was shaking lightly. "Since I found out I was pregnant, my whole world turned around him. Don't ask me how many nights I lay awake, waiting for every time I could feel him move. I imagined how it would be like when he was born, how I would handle it. I was scared of that, but I knew I'd handle it somehow, because I had to. I just had to. And it did work. For four years, I managed to raise him on my own. It was so hard at times, especially when he was a baby and kept me up all night long. But I could do it somehow. And during all those years, all that mattered was him. So can you understand that everything that could potentially threaten what I have is scary to me? Even if it doesn't make any sense to you? Or to anyone else?"

"I do," he answered, fighting with the lump in his throat. "And I wish I had been around during those years. During that time. But I wasn't and maybe it was better that way. Who knows. But one thing you can be sure about. No matter what happens today, it's my mother who has to work for being allowed to see Scorpius, not you for preventing her from taking him away from you. No one will ever do that."

A tiny smile lit her face at his words and he was surprised by how grateful he was to see it.

"Thank you," Hermione said. With a tiny chuckle, she added, "You're getting better and better at being nice and comforting."

Draco rolled his eyes at her playfully. "Just don't tell anyone. It'll ruin my image."

She just laughed at his words.

* * *

She had been close to driving herself crazy when Narcissa Malfoy had finally appeared at her front door. She had to admit she was glad that Draco had taken the lead and even had managed to talk some sense into her.

His speech had had the wished effect. She knew he had understood her explanation, had understood why she was so frightened at times. If there was someone who knew what she was going through, it was him.

And he had made clear that there was no need for her to feel this way. Hermione didn't know if he was fully aware of how much his words meant to her.

Scorpius was their son. They would raise him together, and that was no one else's business. They were his parents, they made the decisions.

And as she watched him the moment his mother and Scorpius joined them in the dining room, Hermione knew that for the case Narcissa would indeed try to go too far, he would be on her side, not on the one of his mother. She was sure that this knowledge had a stronger effect on her than he would ever know.

Tea time went calm and nice. It felt awkward at the beginning, but Scorpius easily overplayed that with happily chatting away. He willingly answered every question he was asked by his grandmother and didn't hesitate to ask any of his own. Still Hermione couldn't deny she was glad as they could leave the dining table again.

"I'll clean up here," Hermione said as they all got up. "Draco, can you take care of washing Scorpius' face? He looks like he kissed his slice of cake rather than eating it and I don't want that to be spread all over the house."

"I didn't kiss the cake!" Scorpius complained.

"But look at yourself," Draco said, pointing at the small mirror behind him. "Look at your face, there are strawberries all over you. Doesn't look so pretty, does it?"

Scorpius' eyes widened as he spotted himself, instantly reaching for his dirty face. Draco managed to catch his hands just time.

"No, don't touch that. You heard Mummy, she doesn't want to see strawberries all over the walls and carpets," he told his son.

Scorpius pouted. "But I don't want anyone to wash my face. That's so wet!"

"Well, then don't spread your cake all over your face next time." He scooped his son up into his arms. "Now no whining, we'll get this off."

Scorpius sighed deeply as Draco carried him out of the dining room. Hermione, who had watched the scene with a smile, turned to her guest, instantly feeling the old discomfort return. Now she didn't just have Narcissa Malfoy in her house, she was also alone with her.

"Mrs. Malfoy, if you'd like to sit down in my living room for a moment, I could..." she started.

But Narcissa shook her head. "In fact, I'd rather like to help you with cleaning up, Miss Granger," she said in a voice that made Hermione raise her eyebrows. She had been prepared for the cold, distant smile her guest had greeted her with earlier. Now there was no cold in the other woman's voice though. She wasn't just polite. She seemed to be friendly instead.

"Um...you're my guest," Hermione said.

Narcissa nodded with a smile. "Yes, I am, and you've been a great host. But now that we're alone, I'd like to use the chance to have a little talk with you."

"Alright." Hermione smiled back, unsure on what to think of this offer. "Well...the kitchen is over here if you'd like to help me with carrying the plates in there."

"Of course," Narcissa answered.

And with those words, she put the plates together as if she was at her own house. Confused, Hermione followed her example. Narcissa Malfoy wanted to use her chance to have a talk with her. Without anyone else around. Hermione couldn't decide whether that was a good or bad idea. But she was willing to give her son's grandmother a chance. After all, a certain other Malfoy had been fantastic at surprising her lately as well.


	13. Honesty

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 13: Honesty**

Her heart was racing as she stood next to Narcissa in the kitchen, cleaning the plates. So far, they hadn't spoken much, but Hermione could feel that the other woman had a lot to say. She didn't know what to think of that.

She could hear Draco and Scorpius from the bathroom and dearly wished she could join them. Things had already been awkward earlier, but that had been nothing compared to her current situation.

Was she supposed to start the conversation? Was she supposed to say something, ask something? Was she supposed to do something maybe?

Hermione didn't know. She knew she could rely on Draco when it came to his parents, but that didn't change her current situation.

"My son seems to enjoy himself in the role of a father," Narcissa said before Hermione could make any decision.

"Yes, it seems like that." Hermione nodded in agreement. "And...he's really good at it, too."

"He is?" Narcissa looked up, for the first time since they had entered the kitchen making eye contact with her. Hermione could see that the other woman was struggling with this conversation, almost as much as she did. But there was also curiosity in her eyes. "Tell me, how did it go when they first met? How did he adjust to this?"

"Well." Hermione hesitated. Was this a question her child's grandmother was supposed to ask her instead of her own son? Then again she had another view on the whole situation. "I think he's adjusting to it really well. He was so sweet with Scorpius when they first met. Well, he always is." She nodded to emphasize her words. "Yes, he's great with Scorpius."

"I see," Narcissa said. "And do you trust him with your son?"

"Of course." Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I don't see a reason why I shouldn't."

"Well, he's a Malfoy after all," Narcissa stated.

This answer brought back the tension between them. Hermione knew where Narcissa was heading with this conversation. There were two options for her; either she went along with it and tried to change the topic or she stepped up and voiced her opinion. For a moment, she hesitated. Then she made her decision.

"Mrs. Malfoy, I know why you're asking all these questions," she said. "First of all, he's Scorpius' father. You might judge me because I didn't tell him about the child when I found out I was pregnant, but back then, I believed it was the best for everyone. When he showed up at my front door...we talked about it. Like adults. I realised he really wanted to get to know Scorpius, so I arranged their first meeting. And what I saw...I don't have a doubt that he's a wonderful father. He's changed so much. There's barely anything left of who he was back at school."

Narcissa's expression softened a bit, but Hermione had already spotted something else in her eyes. "Then you're luckier with the Malfoy who fathered your child than I was with mine." She sighed as Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "My apologize for this, but you might understand me if you're ever caught in between your son and his father. When they stop talking and you have to sneak out of your own house to meet your own child."

Hermione bit her bottom lip, unsure on what to reply. She couldn't deny that she felt sorry for the woman in front of her, whose face looked decades older now with the pain so visible in her eyes. But was she the right one to comfort her?

"I'm sorry," was all she managed to say. "I wish things hadn't gotten so complicated between Draco and his father because of Scorpius and me."

Narcissa shook her head. "I know Lucius wasn't the way a father was supposed to be. Of course he made sure that Draco got rid of all his problems. He bought him everything he wanted to have. But that's not everything a child needs." She sighed deeply. "Lucius wanted Draco to be like him. A powerful Slytherin, top of his class. I think there was even a time when he hoped Draco would turn to the dark side like him. Draco couldn't live up to those expectations and Lucius didn't hesitate to show that to him."

"I know," Hermione said before she could stop herself.

"You know?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow at her.

Hermione blushed. "He told me a little about this. When he mentioned that you wanted to meet Scorpius."

"It's interesting that he talked to you about that." Narcissa was quiet for a moment before she released another sigh. "Anyway, Draco said he always believed he would only be loved by Lucius if he succeeded." She shook her head. "He always wanted to be like Lucius. I should have stepped in earlier. It's sad to see that he had to wait until he had an own son to feel loved just for being himself."

Narcissa's last words pained Hermione more than anything else she and Draco had said during the last couple of hours and weeks.

He had to wait until he had an own son to be loved for just being himself. The impact of this statement stunned her. It explained more than an hours lasting speech could. Was it a surprise that Draco hated her so much for being better at school? Or Harry for being more popular? He had chosen the wrong way to deal with his fear of failing, but she couldn't deny she understood him more and more.

"The past can't be changed though," she decided to say then. "That's why I didn't have a problem with moving on and giving him a second chance, despite all the times he called me a 'Mudblood'. The past can't be changed, but look at how he's now. He's learnt to think for himself, to make his own decisions. He's been so different to the Draco I know from school. He's not just nicer, he also seems to be happy. And one thing you can be certain about; he's determined to do a better job than his father did."

Narcissa offered the hint of a smile. "He can be glad he met you, Miss Granger. I know he's given you a hard time at school and I also know we encouraged that. I'm sorry that I needed to fear that I could lose my son before I realised that what we believed in was wrong. I'm impressed by the fact that you forgave him and are accepting me in your house. And that you took care of your son like this when you found out you were expecting. As much as I wish Draco had been part of Scorpius' life since the very beginning, I'm glad you didn't tell him back then."

Hermione knew her face had turned bright red by now. It was a strange feeling to see Draco's mother like that. The woman who was known for her hard face, for the cold expression in her eyes was able to be so honest, to admit and apologize for her mistakes. Draco and Narcissa were a great example for people who had changed during the war, who had learnt that they had been wrong, who had realised that all that mattered were their loved ones. Who cared for the past when they were so eager to start fresh and leave their demons behind?

"Well, I'm happy to see that Scorpius has another Grandma now," she said then, smiling warmly. "I think we've done enough cleaning now. Why don't we take the tea with us and go into my living room?"

"I think that's a nice idea," Narcissa answered, for the first time offering a true smile in return.

* * *

"Did you actually eat anything of your cake?" Draco asked, shaking his head at his son in disbelief. "It seems like you managed to smear it all across your face instead."

Scorpius giggled. "I did eat my cake!"

"But look at yourself!" Draco chuckled. Carefully, he wiped the wet towel over the corners of the little boy's mouth. Scorpius tried to wiggle away, soon gave up though as he didn't get anywhere.

"Daddy!" he complained. "That sucks!"

"That sucks?" Draco raised his eyebrows at his son. "That's not polite, Scorpius. Don't say that again."

"But it does!" He tried to turn his face away. Sighing deeply, Draco hurried to clean his son's face, releasing a sigh of relief as the last bit of strawberry cake had been removed.

"Daddy?" Scorpius asked as Draco tried to wash the dirt out of the towel he had used. "Daddy, why is Mummy so upset today?"

"Upset?" Draco gave his son a curious look. "Why do you think she's upset?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Because she's been running around the house all the time. She's nervous I think." He paused. "Is she scared of Grandma?"

For a moment, Draco couldn't help but stare back at his son in disbelief. There sat a little, four years old boy, realising that his Mummy was nervous because of his grandmother.

"She's just a bit nervous because it's the first time Grandma came here to visit the two of you," he decided to say then. "Don't worry."

Scorpius smiled and nodded in response. As he watched his son, another thought found its way into Draco's mind.

"Can you do me a favour, Scorpius?" he asked. As the little boy nodded, he added, "Don't ever forget that you have the best Mummy in the world. The very best. Because she really, really loves you very much."

"I love Mummy very much, too!" Scorpius answered.

Draco smiled. "That's good."

The little boy nodded. "And do you love Mummy as well?"

Draco mentally cursed himself. He should have known that a conversation with a four years old would lead right to such a question. His punishment for not considering that earlier was coming up with an answer now. What was he supposed to say? How could he explain to such a young child that he liked his mother, maybe even more than he was willing to admit to himself and couldn't deny that he was attracted to her? There was no way to make Scorpius understand that. At all.

"Um..." he started. Sighing deeply and dearly hoping that his son would never bring his answer up in front of his mother, he continued, "Yes, of course."

Scorpius looked satisfied with this answer. "Now why don't we go back to Mummy and Grandma?" Draco asked. Hesitating for a second, he added, "And we don't have to tell anyone what we've just been talking about. That's our secret."

"I love secrets!" Scorpius' smile widened. "Last year, Uncle Harry told me about Auntie Ginny's Christmas present." He looked guilty as he said, "But I told her, that wasn't so good."

"That can happen." Draco ruffled his son's hair, mentally shaking his head at what he had gotten himself into again. Together, they left the bathroom. As they arrived in the living room though, Draco was surprised to catch his mother and Hermione sitting on the couch, laughing; a sight he would have never dared to imagine.

"Oh, you're done," Hermione greeted them with a smile. "Your mother just told me some stories about you when you were in Scorpius' age."

Draco sighed lightly. "Yes, make fun of me." He couldn't help but smile as both women laughed in response.

* * *

It was getting close to midnight when Hermione finally found time to sit down on her living room couch again. Narcissa had left around two hours ago, Scorpius had fallen asleep in the middle of his room shortly after.

Sighing comfortably, she stretched her legs. The meeting had started awkward like she had expected, and had turned out so nice after the intense conversation both women had had in the kitchen earlier.

Feeling calm and surprisingly relaxed, Hermione mentally replayed the events of the past hours. They had gotten along so well, had had so much fun together with the little boy around.

Who would have expected things with the Malfoys could turn out that way? It was yet another proof that some people just needed a second chance.

She looked up as Draco entered her living room again. A chuckle escaped her. "You look quite tired," she said.

"I am." With a deep sigh, he let himself fall onto the empty space next to her. "Unfortunately Scorpius woke up again right when I wanted to put him into his bed. He tried to convince me that he's not tired at all."

"Of course not." Hermione smirked. "Which is, from what I heard, something you used to say as well when you were little."

He rolled his eyes at her. "I hope that won't turn into a habit. You and my Mum exchanging stories like that." He paused, studying her for a moment. "How come you moved from being so awkward around each other to being nice? What happened while I was away?"

Hermione shrugged. "We just had a little talk. I think we understand each other a little better now. That helped a lot."

The look Draco gave her told her that he was fully aware of the fact that this had been more than a little conversation. Much to her relief, he dropped the topic though.

"I think I should go home now. I need some sleep before I go to work," he said, yawning.

Hermione didn't miss the change of his expression though. She hesitated for just a second before she asked, "Well, would you like to stay here? I could set up the guest room for you."

"You don't have to."

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "I know I don't have to. But I don't mind. It's never used so I'd finally have an excuse for using it. And don't worry, I'm not doing that because I'm pitying you."

He glared at her playfully. "You better don't." The hint of a smile lit his face then. "Fine. Thank you."

"It's not a problem," Hermione answered, getting up.

A few minutes later, she had returned to her own bedroom. Draco had gratefully accepted Hermione's little guest room and she couldn't deny she was glad he had agreed to stay. Because after such a day, it felt just right to her.


	14. Harry, A Good Friend

**Title:** Closer  
**Summary:** A secret unites them and eventually they become closer than they would have ever imagined. - Draco/Hermione  
**Characters:** Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna  
**Pairings:** Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Neville/Luna  
**Rating:** PG – 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

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**Chapter 14: Harry, A Good Friend**

Her desk looked like a mess again, but Hermione had stopped caring a long time ago. She had a lot of work to do, often did more than she was supposed to. And that was visible when someone entered her office. So why should she have a problem with the fact that people saw how busy she was?

The small picture frames that were placed on her desk though were protected from the various scrolls and whatever else could be found here. They were special after all and couldn't get lost in her huge amount of work.

There were a lot of different photos. Most of them showed Scorpius; as a baby, as a toddler, as a little boy. Then there was one of her parents and some of her friends.

And those photos were needed. After all, there was nothing better to calm down and relax for a moment than looking at pictures of her loved ones.

With a soft smile, Hermione studied the youngest picture. It had been taken on Scorpius' fourth birthday. The little boy had been so excited and that showed in every single picture she had taken on said day. Draco owned a copy of it, too. It was bad enough that he hadn't been around for any of his son's birthdays yet.

Hermione couldn't deny that this fact made her feel a little uncomfortable. She had done it for Scorpius and herself because she had thought it was the best decision she could have made. Both, Draco and Narcissa, agreed with her. But still she couldn't help but feel a little guilty because he had missed those years.

Because he could have experienced much sooner how it felt like to be loved by someone just for being himself.

Shaking her head, Hermione tried to push those thoughts out of her mind again. The past couldn't be changed, but at least it was easier for her to understand how Draco's mind worked. And she could make sure that she helped him with finding the right way to follow now. Because there was no need to succeed when he wanted to be liked, at least not when it came to them.

"This is a rare sight."

Harry's amused voice interrupted Hermione in her thoughts. Looking up, she found her best friend leaning in the doorway, watching her with a smile.

"Hello Harry," she greeted him.

He made his way over to her desk and let himself fall into the chair across of her. "It's rare that you don't dig through any scrolls but are busy with doing...nothing."

"Oh, I wasn't doing nothing," Hermione replied quickly. "I was just...well, thinking about something. Nevermind."

He studied her curiously. "May I ask what you've been thinking about?"

"Oh, just about this and that," she answered.

Harry smirked. "Also known as Malfoy, right?"

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

His smirk widened. "I know you, Hermione. I know you better than I know myself at times. Don't forget, we kind of grew up together. You can't hide anything in front of me." His smile softened. "Have you been thinking about the meeting with his mother? How did it go? Ginny didn't dare to go and visit you because she didn't know how long she would stay. Or if you wanted to see anyone afterwards."

Hermione chuckled. She could imagine how Ginny had bothered her husband with her impatience, although she was fairly certain that Harry wasn't any better than her.

"It went really well," she answered. "Alright, it started very awkward. But after Narcissa and I had...well, quite an interesting talk, it went a lot better from there."

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "So you're getting along with most of the Malfoys now, aren't you?"

"Not with Draco's father." She sighed. There, in front of her, sat Harry, her best friend, the person who she trusted in the most. Even more than she trusted in Ginny. And suddenly she could feel the strong urge to share all those thoughts that were spinning in her mind with him. An almost overwhelming urge.

"Why don't you just tell me?" Harry asked then.

Hermione sighed. "You didn't try to read my mind, right?"

Harry shook his head. "No, thank you. I have enough of being able to look into someone else's mind." He shuddered for a moment, quickly shaking his head to get rid of the rising thoughts. Then his smile returned. "So?"

She sighed again. "You surely think I'm silly," she started. As he raised his eyebrows at her, she added, "Really! It's just...I feel sorry for Draco."

"You feel sorry for him?" Harry asked surprised.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. And I knew you wouldn't understand."

"Well, I can't understand until you explain this a little more to me."

She stared at her desk in silence for a couple of moments, trying to sort her thoughts. There had been such a long, intense rivalry between Harry and Draco. Was now the right moment to explain to him that slowly, ever so slowly, she was starting to understand why he had turned out that way?

"I just learnt a lot about him lately," she decided to start. "I don't want to excuse the way he treated us back then, or anyone else. He was mean to us, very mean at times. We stood on opposite sides. But...even though you can't excuse what he's done over the years...I'm starting to understand how he became that way."

Hermione knew her cheeks had turned red again as she made eye contact with Harry. Unlike what she had expected, he seemed calm though, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, I can relate to his fear of failing," she continued. "You know that's been my biggest fear for a long while. And he's afraid of that, too, but for different reasons." She hesitated, sighing softly. "See, he said that for him, his father always was his idol. He wanted to be like him, especially as that was what everyone expected from him anyway. He wanted to make him proud and he feared that if he didn't succeed, if he didn't make his father proud, Lucius Malfoy would stop loving him."

"So you want to tell me that's why he hated us so much? Why he kept on bullying us whenever he could?" Harry wanted to know, still in a surprisingly calm voice.

Hermione shrugged. Her face had turned deep red by now. "Well, it's what his mother said as well. That nothing he did was ever good enough, no matter how hard he tried. That his father wanted him to be a copy of himself. He wanted Draco to share his beliefs with him, he wanted him to be strong and mighty. But he didn't make it happen and Narcissa said he didn't hesitate to show that to him." She paused, once again feeling the familiar lump in her throat. "Like I said, I don't want to excuse his behaviour. But I don't want to imagine how it's been like to be raised like that; when you just want your father to love you and believe that he'll only do that if you don't fail. It's just...sad to see that his mother and Scorpius are the only people he knows who love him just for being himself, not for anything he does or is."

"Just the two of them?" Harry asked.

"What?" Hermione stared back at him in shock. "What do you mean?"

And much to her surprise, Harry smiled at her. "Like I said, I know how you are, Hermione. You care for everyone, especially when you think they aren't treated right. Like the house elves. Now it's Malfoy you feel sorry for, because he didn't receive the love he deserved. Which is understandable, because no matter what a rude, annoying idiot he's been, no child should believe they're only loved as long as they don't fail. But I'm starting to wonder if it's really just that. Just you having found another person who warmed your heart with their story and what they had to go through."

"Harry! What are you trying to tell me with that?"

Harry's smile softened. "Nothing, Hermione. Just that obviously you like him a lot more than you seem to realise."

"He's my son's father!" she replied firmly. "And we've spend a lot of time with each other lately. He's changed a lot, he's become a really nice man. But that doesn't mean anything!"

"No, of course it doesn't."

Hermione groaned. "You're just like Ginny!" She shook her head at him. "I told you something serious and you're making fun of me."

"I'm not making fun of you, Hermione." Reaching across the table, Harry took her hands into his. "I just think my wife is right. That's all." He squeezed her hands gently as he added, "And I'm proud to be friends with someone who cares so much for others. Who's even able to forgive someone who was so mean to her once and see the good in him. Who sees behind the façade. You always did that. That's why you're so good at your job and why I think you'll do a lot for Muggle-born, house elves and whoever else needs your help. It's a great trait. Just keep your eyes open. You develop feelings for another person faster than you think. I know that from own experience."

"So you want to warn me?" Hermione asked. "That I should make sure I don't accidentally develop feelings for him?"

Harry's smile widened as he shook his head. "No, I want you to keep your eyes open and not wait as long as I did with Ginny."

"Harry!" Hermione stared at him in disbelief. "Did you really just say...?"

"Whatever you do is fine with me," Harry interrupted her. "Just make sure you're happy. Nothing else matters to me. You deserve it, Hermione. You've always been there for me when I needed you. If I can do anything to give you at least a little bit back for that, I'll do."

Hermione returned his smile. "There's a reason why you're my best friend, Harry."

"I can give that right back at you, Hermione," he answered.

And with those words, he got up and left. Hermione turned her attention back to the pictures on her desk, now even more confused than she had been before.

* * *

Staring at the parchment in front of him, Draco ran his hands through his hair, sighing in frustration. This was not the way he had imagined this evening to turn out. Of course he couldn't complain; he had spent hours with his son and Hermione the day before, he had even stayed in their guest room.

But his mother had been around and that had been a different situation. He wanted to spend time with them alone, without anyone being around who made the situation more serious and less family like.

Family like. Draco rolled his eyes at himself. Now where were these thoughts coming from again? Yes, Scorpius was his family of course. But where had the rest of his mental image come from?

Then again what could he expect if he spent so much time with both of them? Of course he knew she wouldn't mind if he spent time alone with his son.

But somehow, it mostly turned out to be the three of them. No matter if they headed to a lake or stayed at home. He could only imagine how they had to look like to outsiders. Like a normal family. Little did they know.

"Is everything alright?"

Interrupted by Potter's voice coming from the other desk in the room, Draco looked up. Potter was watching him with what he assumed was a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Yes, don't worry." He shook his head, attempting to go back to work. As Potter continued to stare at him though, he added, "Fine. I just don't know when I'll finish with all this...stuff." He resisted the urge to curse. "I had better plans, but I doubt you're really interested in that."

"Depends," Potter answered. "Did you plan on seeing Hermione and Scorpius today?"

Draco narrowed his eyes at the other man. But there was nothing in Potter's eyes that indicated he wanted to tease him. "Even if I planned on doing that, does it matter?"

Potter smiled in response. He studied him for a moment before he said, "Just go home already."

"What?" Draco gave him a confused look.

"Just go already," Potter repeated. "Go and meet them. That won't run away, you can still do it tomorrow."

"Are you serious?"

Potter laughed. "I am. You should hurry though, who knows, I might change my mind?"

Draco glared at him. "If you..."

"Merlin, Draco, just go already!" he said, firmly yet amused. "Spend some time with your family. Your paperwork can wait."

Draco stared back at Potter for a moment, unsure on what to reply. Deciding that maybe, just maybe the other wizard really just wanted to be nice to him, he shrugged and got up. He had barely left the office though, as a smile lit his face. "Thank you, Potter," he muttered to himself as he hurried to leave the Ministry.


End file.
